


Five Nights at Freddy's

by HeartfeltAdvantages



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: DARK AS HELL, Emphasize on DEATH, Hallucinations, How many tags can I add here, Multi, Own Characters - Freeform, Purple Guy is kinda in the story, Underage Drinking (technically), child murders, really fucked up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 17:37:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11385102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartfeltAdvantages/pseuds/HeartfeltAdvantages
Summary: This is what happens when you respond to shitty newspaper ads.An endless cycle of death.





	1. The Start of a Horrible Beginning

**Monday, November 3 rd. 6:59 pm**

* * *

Mike stared at the dilapidated pizzeria before looking down at the newspaper clipping he'd cut out that morning and gave an uneasy sigh. His roommate told him that this was the perfect job for him, although looking back it was pretty obvious that he was stoned as hell.

The brunet let out another sigh before making his way to the building and fighting the ever growing urge to just turn around and go home.

The smell of pizza, puke, and something else was the first thing that hit him which was quickly followed by the scraping of chairs against wood and laughter from the workers. It was close to closing time and Mike wondered if he should have come earlier when one of the workers noticed him and called out," You lookin' for someone, buddy?"

Nodding, he made his way to the worker and explained that he was here for the job as the night guard, to which another one whistled. "Don't know why you would wanna work as the night guard," She jabbed a finger behind her," but the boss's in her office at the moment. Go to Pirate Cove and take a right." Now he was curious. What was so bad about working as a night guard? He mulled the question in his mind as he followed her directions and soon find himself standing in his soon-to-be boss's office. Steeling his nerves, Mike knocked twice before a gentle yet firm voice called him in.

Despite being the tallest in his family- Which consisted only of dwarfs- she was a good foot taller than him and he found himself looking up at her in mild discomfort. She grinned widely at him and extended her hand.

"You must be Michael Schmidt! I'm Dorian, but you can call me Dory. Please, take a seat."  

A smile found it's way to his face as he sat down. So far so good. She wasn't at all what he'd expected as the owner of a failing business; instead, she was all smile and jokes. The interview went without a hitch and Mike found himself shaking her hand once more as he smiled at his new boss. She took him on a tour of the building and explained the ropes of the new job, going so far as to tell him what the animatronics do during business hours.

Time flew by and Dory sent him a quick salute and gave Mike his uniform and the keys for the building before bidding him a pleasant goodnight, and he found himself standing in the middle of the entrance with a goofy grin on his face. After a short period of time, he went back to his apartment and told his roommate the good news.

* * *

**Monday, November 3 rd. 11:30 pm**

* * *

"I told you that you were destined to get that job, friend," his roommate grinned as he helped the new night guard with his tie.

Mark, like Dory, was a good foot taller than him and had black curly hair that was always tied in a small ponytail. Aside from working at a nearby bakery, when he's not sober he would usually be seen smoking weed and can turn into a big idiot when that happens. Multiple times he'd offered some to Mike but they both know that it was pointless since his answer would always remain the same.

Mike rolled his eyes but didn't stop the smile on his face from growing. His thick brown hair was still a natural mess (there was nothing either of them could do about that) and the dark purple uniform shirt brought out the shine in his blue eyes. Running a hand through his quiff, he shrugged the bag Mark offered him that was filled with snacks and headed for work. It took him fifteen minutes in total to get there and as he once again stood in front of the old building, an odd mix of eagerness and dread washed over him.

"Time to spend five nights at Freddy's....."He muttered to himself with a faint smile before unlocking the door and allowing the darkness to swallow him whole.

 


	2. One Night in Hell

* * *

**Monday, November 3rd. 11:58 pm**

* * *

Inside of the security office it was completely drowning in kid's drawings, junk papers and a single cupcake, which Mike found out to be a stress reliever toy that someone must have left behind. Tossing the bag into a corner, the brunet slipped the tablet into his hands and started switching between the different viewpoints the cameras had to offer. After a few moments of doing so his eyes adjusted to the static as his watched alerted him that it was now midnight.

He was startled to hear a phone ringing and started to look for it before giving up and leaving it to play on its own.

"Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about."

"Whatever you say, dude," Mike hummed as he lazily sucked on a lollipop Mark gave him along with a couple other snacks he packed in the bag.

"Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?" the recorded voice continued. "Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, _Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced_."

The new security guard took the candy out of his mouth with a pop and stared at where he assumed the phone was in disbelief. What in the actual hell was he talking about?

"Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about."

"I call bullshit on that."

"Uh, the animatronic characters here _do_ get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay.

So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh...Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"

"I now regret listening to Mark's stone ass."  
  
"Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh."

"Thanks for painting me that pretty little image. And you don't say heh after a sentence like that!"  
  
"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, the first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."

By this time Mike was looking ready to bolt through the front door if it wasn't for what the man told him. What the workers told him earlier now makes plenty of sense when he realized the fucked up situation he managed to get himself into. Once again, he blamed himself for listening to his roommate's words as he checked through the cameras. So far, nothing was happening. The robots were all in their proper places (Although he had to admit that they looked hella creepy in the dark now) and nothing changed.

An uneasy sigh came from his lips. Maybe this was all some sort of sick elaborate prank that the workers did to each new night guard. Yeah, that gotta be it. Just when he was starting to feel himself relax, he noticed with a sick lurch that one of them was missing. "Where the fuck did the rabbit- HOLY SHIT!"

Bonnie stared at him from the storage closet with dead eyes, unholy moans of pain coming from the tablet as his head seemed to glitch in an unnatural way. If Mike didn't want to leave before, he was sure as hell going to now. Fear clutching at his throat, he struggled to remain calm as he checked the lights on either side of the door before going back to see if anyone else moved from their position.

So far, Bonnie was the only one.

Switching the candy from either side of his mouth, Mike switched back to the room the bunny was in and almost choked when he saw that he wasn't there. Okay, now this was just absurd. There was no way in hell that a robot THAT BIG would be able to move that fast. Plowing through the camera feed yielded no results for the almost futile search. If he wasn't there, then he must have overlooked a room or-

The _faint_ wheeze of someone struggling to breathe made Mike go still for a good second as well as his heart, a chill going down his spine as his mind tried to process what was going on. In that second he realized two things: He was either going to die at the hands of a kids entertainment group or he could _CLOSE THE  GODDAMN DOOR._

His hand _slammed_ into the button and the door complied instantly, giving him a much-needed distance from the robot. For a few moments, it was difficult to breathe. Mike squeezed his eyes shut and started to hum a song he heard softly even though he knew that it could very well cost him his life. Every second that passed made the brunet calmed down just a bit more until he was able to breathe properly without passing out from lack of oxygen.

The candy now gone, Mike played with the stick as he pressed the light to see if the bunny was still there; when that resulted to an empty hallway he opened the door and checked to his right. Chica stood in front of the window and the night guard wasted no time in closing the door. Vaguely he wondered if it was possible for the chicken to break through the glass but shook his head at the thought. Unless they made them bendable, there was no way that she would be able to fit through the small opening.

Despite being in a situation where Death was literally around the corner, he found himself smiling until it turned into a ridiculous grin and morphed into muffled laughter at the thought of seeing a seven-foot robotic chicken with the intent of stuffing him into an even deadlier suit trying to fit into the room.

Oh God, he was turning into Mark. Or the job was already going to his head. One out of the two.

Checking the time (It was 1:35 am), Mike continued glancing through the feed and closing either of the doors before falling into a sort of rhythm. Occasionally he would let out a scream whenever they'd gotten too close for comfort or letting out a curse when both Chica and Bonnie would camp outside of the door ( "Move from the motherfucking door already! Your fat ass is draining my power!" ).

It was now 2:46 am and he had about seventy-eight percent of power left. Letting out a groan of annoyance, the guard checked over the west hallway and paused. He took off the glasses, inspected it for any smears, cleaned it with the edge of his shirt, placed it back on, and stared at the tablet once more. Nope, the posters were still the same. And by 'same' he meant that it was completely different than when he last checked it. The image of a child crying was repeated over and over and almost seemed to glow in the dim light.

This job was definitely getting to him.

* * *

**Tuesday, November 4th. 5:55 am**

* * *

Five percent left and draining rapidly.

Mike was going to die.

_Mike was going to die._

"Oh god oh god oh god no no no no _no-!_ " Mike could only watch in horror as the numbers slowly ticked to zero. Everything was going so well he can't die he just can't! He prayed that six o'clock would come down faster but his hopes vanished when the numbers finally turned blank. For a moment he held his breath and waited for his alarm to go off when everything was plunged into darkness.

Then he saw Freddy standing in the left door with only his face glowing to show that he was even there and he was pretty sure that his scream was heard from the entire town. A song that he dimly remembers but can't recall the name played and Mike braced himself for the pain when his phone started to ring.

It was six AM.

He was still alive.

Another scream tore through him, but this time it was in victory.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly Phone Guy's conversation took up a good portion of the chapter.   
> He must love hearing his own voice.


	3. Don't Follow Strangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter since I've been painting the house since morning and I want to fucking sleep.
> 
> Mike your French is showing quick cover it up

* * *

**Tuesday, November 4th. 6:25 am**

* * *

"Je ne suis jamais baiser à vous écouter encore une fois, Mark Jones!" Mike slammed the door closed as he threw his bag into the couch, not even giving a crap that he might have woken up their neighbors.

Said man, who was preparing breakfast for him in the kitchen, didn't even seemed to acknowledge that his roommate had arrived home. It was too early for him to be high considering that he has to go to work in an hour, so he was either completely oblivious to the very pissed off man or he was just ignoring him.

Neither blended well with Mike.

Pounding his hand on the table, Mark looked up from what he was doing with genuine surprise on his face before it quickly morphed into one of his trademarks grins. "Sup dude! Wanna muffin?" "Oh mon Dieu," Mike groaned into his hands. He loved his roommate, he really does, but sometimes he can be as smart as a rock. No, that's just insulting....... to rocks.

Curiosity piped, the older male set a plate of piping hot muffins and a cup of coffee for the brunet as a sympathetic frown went across his face. "Is the job bad?" A big grin went across Mike's face as he started drinking his coffee.

"No no no, the job was great! The people's nice, the pay is semi-decent, and everything's fine."

"Then why are you so mad?"

" _BECAUSE I ALMOST GOT MY ASS HANDED TO ME BY KILLER ANIMATRONICS, THAT'S WHY!"_

Mark didn't say anything, instead opting to let Mike continued his rant. He knows better than to interrupt him when he gets upset, especially when he's using his native tongue. That's his cue to shut the hell up and listen, although it was hard to follow when he keeps switching from one language to another. Something about a rabbit and a chicken.

Raising his own mug to his lips, Mark nodded and add in little hums of agreement here and there to show that he was listening before he finally had enough. Calmly walking to the still raging brunet, he placed his hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes.

"Michael, you can't quit that job now. They need to be put to rest." The sudden change in mood was enough to make Mike shut his mouth, but then he realized what he'd said and frowned. "Wait. Who's _they?_ " No response came, instead the taller man chose to gently push Mike into his room and told him to rest for his next shift, wasting no time at closing the door when he opened his mouth to protest.

Silence shortly followed for a span of a full minute until he finally realized that standing in front of the door was only making him look like an idiot and he sighed inwardly which quickly morphed into a sneeze. Wiping his nose, the security guard took a quick bath ( The room had a door that leads to the bathroom, so that's good.) before taking a nap on the bottom of the bunk bed.

* * *

_Mike looked around in confusion when he realized that he was at Freddy's Fazbear Pizzeria but couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Birthday decorations were thrown about in every which corner and kids screamed in delight as they run about in the building while their parents tried to keep an eye on them and maintain their conversations with friends.  
_

_He bit down on his nail- something he hasn't done since he was a kid- and looked around nervously as he tried to remain as calm as possible._

_"Hey, kids! Let sing h-h-happy birthday to the b-b-birthday kid!" Freddy's voice boomed across the room, and instantly the kids gathered around a table where a large birthday cake was, including Mike. A voice in the back of his mind whispered to stay as far away from the robots as possible but he shook away the thought. Why should he be afraid of them?_

_As the adults started to sing and the children falling behind, Mike found himself enjoying the party and briefly wondered if he'd brought a gift when something yellow caught his attention and he found himself staring right at a new robot. It was_ much _taller than him and resembled a rabbit, but the suit had patches of dirt smudged into the fur and looked like it hasn't been used in years.  
_

_Cold black eyes was the only thing he could see despite the smile in his voice when Golden Bonnie spoke. "Hi there, kiddo. I'm Bonnie. What's your name?" Mike opened his mouth but instead of words a strange static came out instead, shocking him for a fraction of a second before Golden Bonnie started speaking again._

_"Follow me,. I wanna show you something."_

_"Like what?"  A girl besides you ask, clearly loosing interest at what was going on ahead. Two more kids looked up at Golden Bonnie with interest, either because he was new or because of what he was offering. Instead of replying to her, he made a motion with his hand to follow him and that's exactly what they did._

_Excitement bubbled in Mike's body as they went past the robots and into a section of the building he didn't know but felt vaguely familiar. Golden Bonnie led them to a room labled 'Parts & Services' and a feeling of dread formed in the pit of his stomach. "I don't get it. Is the surprise in here or......?"_

_The door closed softly behind them but to the brunet it may as well been thunder. Golden Bonnie took off the top of the costume and shrugged out of it like it was nothing and Mike noticed the knife that was hooked onto the stranger's pants. Cold sweat began trickling down his skin as a wide grin went across the stranger face._

_"This_ is _the surprise! And I_ really _hope you like it..."_


	4. Wires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to realize that the story was continuing in real life.
> 
> And then I fucked it up.
> 
> Also forgive me for taking forever I'm bad at keeping up a schedule.

* * *

**Tuesday, November 4th. 9:47 am**

* * *

_Mike,_

_Sorry about what happened earlier. I guess you were kinda stressed out with your new job, and I understand that. To a certain extent. As an apology, I made you some cinnamon bun that you can have if you're feeling hungry. Please feed Candy while you're up.  
_

_Love,_

_Mark_

 

_PS. We're running low on some stuff, so there should be a list on the fridge and some money on the counter for you. If there are any leftovers, you can buy something for yourself. Don't overdo it._

 

Mike rolled his eyes and placed the note back on the table, rubbing the remaining sleep away from his eyes. He'd just woken up from his nap a few minutes ago and was still out of it at the moment.

Grabbing the cinnamon bun and eating it, he walked over to Candy and spent a few minutes staring at her. The animal in favor stared back, her nose twitching every few seconds and her large bunny ears mimicking the movements. She was a fairly large rabbit for her age and they would usually let her hop around the apartment sometimes or take her out for short walks in the neighborhood.

Dropping a couple of her favorite snacks, Mike knelt down and poked her nose lightly. "You wouldn't kill me, would you Candy?"He asked with a tilt of his head. The animal merely blinked and continued eating, causing the brunet to chuckle under his breath. Ruffling her fur for a moment he decided to see the list Mark mentioned and went to the fridge.

It wasn't too long and Mike could probably get most of it at the store down the street. Putting the money in his pocket he shrugged an oversize sweater on and glanced at Candy, who stared back at him.

"....."

"....."

"......Do you wanna go for a walk?"

Mike took the quick blink as a yes and gathered her leash and clip it onto her collar before taking her out of her cage. It didn't make much sense to take her out after she'd finish eating, but what the hell. Walking had never killed anyone. Besides, she needs it.

Spinning the keys for the apartment on his finger, he let Candy out the door and locked it before going downstairs. Cold air nipped at his ears almost immediately when he stepped outside and he bunched the fabric closer to his body out of reflex.

* * *

**Tuesday, November 4th. 11:12 am**

* * *

Shifting the weight of the bag to his other hand, Mike looked around the fairly empty park and, munching on the candy bar he'd bought earlier, settled on the park bench and placed the rabbit on his lap, running his hand through Candy's fur as she snuggled against him. The shopping took a lot longer than he'd expected, but the brunet needed the distraction.

Everything in him protested on going back to the pizzeria. It made sense, considering that Death was lurking around the corners of the building. But a smaller part told him that he has to stay, and he was debating on whether he should flip him off or listen. Going back is a HUGE mistake and he would most likely be stuffed into a Freddy Fazbear suit. No, scratch that: He was DEFINITELY going to be stuffed into a suit.

"Fuck me.... what the hell did I get myself into?" The brunet groaned into his hands, the momentary relief gone. He wanted so badly to just get the fuck away from the pizzeria but on the other hand...he wanted to stay. A large portion of his brain told that part to shut the fuck up but he didn't want to listen to it. Quitting would mean that some other poor sap would get sucked into the madness as well and, if what the guy on the phone was true, then they would just get lost in the possibly endless list of missing night guards.

Jesus, just how many times did the owner had to clean after dead bodies? How could they just carry on with their lives knowing that they let someone die? Just how fucked up was these people any-

"Um, excuse me, but are you, Mike Schmidt?"

Blinking out of his thoughts, bright blue eyes met gentle brown eyes. The person in front of him was a fairly tall lady with dark brown hair and fair skin. Judging by the way she was tugging anxiously on her purse she wasn't one to start up a conversation with someone, especially a stranger. Giving her a faint smile, Mike nodded his head and inquired if he knew her, to which a light blush of embarrassment dusted her cheeks.

Hiding behind her hair, she stammered," W-well, not _formally_ but I-I saw you yesterday at Freddy's. I j-just want to say that I- _we_ are i-impressed with what you've done." His eyebrows knitted together in obvious confusion. Impressed with what he did?  What was so impressive that one of them-

Oh.

His face paled at the realization and the brunet closed his hands into fists to hide how badly they were trembling. It wasn't a joke at all then; going back means that he really _would_ die. Exhaling a shaky sigh in an attempt to clear his nerves, Mike barely noticed the lady sitting next to him and staring intently at his face like she was trying to decipher some sort of code. "Oh no, I shouldn't have said anything! I'm so sorry Mike, I didn't mean to make you-"

"Hey kiddo, how about we go for a little walk together? We need to settle some business."

 

 


	5. Dead Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good night.  
> Sleep tight.  
> Don't let the dead bite...

* * *

**Tuesday, November 4th. 11:55 AM**

* * *

Fumbling with the keys in his pockets, Mike finally managed to open the damn doors before stepping in; the heavy scent of stale disinfectant and something foul hitting him like bricks. Despite the aloof persona he was giving off he was screaming inwardly to turn back and was struggling with just putting one foot in front of the other without bolting outside and into the world that was filled with people and the occasional psychopath without confronting five-he wasn't sure if there was one in Pirate's Cove but it can't hurt to be cautious- animatronics that was hell bent on killing him. 

Yep, just a normal night at Freddy's. 

Steeling his nerves, the security guard breezed past the robots and quickly headed to his so called 'safe spot' in this murder home. "Round two, I guess..." He muttered with uncertainty when his phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him of the time. It's officially midnight- Let get this show on the road.

Turning the power on for the tablet his eyes roamed through the static when the phone blared to life in the pile of rubbish that is his table. Leaving it be and checking the doors- no one was there, thank God- he left the Phone Guy to do the talking to fill the dead silence. Huh, Phone Guy. That kind of has a nice ring to it.

"Uh, hello? Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats! I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place. You know..."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Uh... Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right? I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors. So if-if you can’t find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react... Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that."

"Bullshit."

"Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon."

Releasing a pent up sigh that did very little at quelling the bundle of nerves inside, Mike pinched the bridge of his nose in both annoyance and anxiety. If he survived the night before, then he could do it again.

Nodding in determination, he switched the view point from the Supply Closet (Bonnie was in there a minute ago but was now occupying the left door, which Mike dealt with without hesitation) to Pirate's Cove and was surprised to hear something that wasn't agonizing moans of pain. Someone was singing.

The robot was **fucking singing.**

Confusion wasn't a strong enough word to describe what was going through the terrified adult's head. Confusion mixed with disbelief mixed with the ever growing sense of dread seemed like a more accurate attempt. Lingering on the fifth animatronic home for a while longer Mike glanced to the side and saw Chica standing outside the window with the Chersise-like grin (At least he _thinks_ that's a grin) glued on her features. Closing the door he switched view and saw that Bonnie was still standing near the doorway, much to his dismay.

"At least cut me a frickin' break, it's my second night for Christ sake!" Mike groaned under his breath, although he was glad to find out that they both went away. Having the two of them parked outside his doors was a serious threat on his life considering how fast it drains the battery. Was the place so cheap that they could only afford a single bloody generator?

Thinking that he'd left the camera on Pirate's Cove long enough, Mike soon found himself staring into the Eastern Hallway and was froze slightly when he saw that the posters had once again changed; this time it was newspaper clippings. Doing a quick check outside the doors, he adjusted his glasses and skimmed through the article at a fast pace. What he read made him more confused than ever. Missing kids? What was that all about?

Wait.....when was the last time he checked Pirate's Cove? Dread coursing through his body, the brunet abandoned the hallway and had to choke back a scream. The curtains for Pirate's Cove was opened, a hook that was frighteningly new gleaming in what little light was there. This isn't good; this isn't good at _all._ Not wanting to face the consequences of his poorly made choices, Mike left the camera on him for a good two minutes or so before switching back to see where the other animatronics were lurking.

Chica was standing near the bathrooms again (Mike was sure that he could have seen an extra set of teeth) and Bonnie was in the cafeteria again. So far so good.

Taking a peek at his phone, he saw that it was already two-thirty, leaving him with only a couple more hours to go. It's amazing how fast time flies when you're thinking about staying alive. 

* * *

**Tuesday, November 4th. 4:28 AM**

* * *

"Oh my God why are you still there?!"

Mike screeched at the robotic chicken. She hasn't moved in the past five minutes and he could have sworn that she was grinning in delight at his panic. While Bonnie seems to be the most active out of the two, Chica was still a handful because she likes to camp outside his door for long periods of time.

Dimly the security guard wondered if the window was shatter-proof before remembering, once again, that she wouldn't be able to fit. Then he realized that she might try to drag him out the office and scooted away from the window without getting too close to the door. Deciding to give Pirate's Cove a quick peek, Mike switched from having a stare-off with Bonnie and almost choked on the coffee that had long since gone cold.

The curtains were wide opened yet no one was there. In a frantic search, Mike went through all the viewpoints the tablet had to offer and screamed bloody murder when he saw the red blur that whizzed past his vision.

Throwing his bottle against the wall the security guard slammed his hand on the button and froze when it didn't respond. "Ne faites pas cela pour moi s'il vous plaît ne faites pas cela pour moi pourquoi diable n'êtes-vous pas?!" To his immense relief the door finally closed, yet Mike barely had time to breathe when several banging came from outside the barrier.

Falling out of his swivel chair and landing on his back, the male stayed on the ground for several seconds and just stared at nothing. After becoming one with the universe (Or at least one where his life wasn't completely hell) the brunet finally picked himself up and collected the bottle that was, to his surprise, unharmed. "What in the absolute hell did I got myself into." It was meant to come out as a question but honestly Mike could care less. He was already feeling drained from this damn job and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

The next hour flew in a blur after his second near-death encounter and he found himself doing fairly well. He was down to twenty-five percent and he had a few minutes left until six AM, so he was doing a lot more better than last night. That was a disater. Doing the routine check of the doors and seeing that no one was there, Mike let out an uneasy breath and slumped back into his chair in exhaustion.

Bonnie was once againby his door and he blocked him off with a single push of a button and flipped him off before it fully closed. Six AM soon came knocking on his door and a smile went across his face. Another successful night.

When his boss greeted him later he simply gave her a wave before going home; he was too tired to even yell at her or at himself for staying. Mark opened the door, took one look at him, and lifted him up bridal style before taking him to their room.

"It will all be worth it, Mikey. They will be free."


	6. Sound of Silence

* * *

**Wednesday, November 5th. 7:15 AM**

* * *

_"Let us go! Please!" Mike sobbed, struggling to get out of the binds. The others all squirmed around like worms; the man before them simply watching with an amused smile on his face. It quickly changed into a blank mask- unnerving Mike to no end at how fast he can change expressions- and walked towards them. Everything about the man made him nervous: his movement was just too.... **fluid** like he didn't even have bones, and his eyes were just two empty holes in his face. There was no emotion in them even when he smiled and Mike found that they resembled those china-dolls he remembered seeing- glossy; completely devoid of life. _

_Can he even call him human?_

_The man took slow, calculated steps around his victims like a hawk until he stopped in front of the pig-tails girl. She was practically dry heaving at this point, her brown eyes almost like pinpricks. Shaking helplessly in her binds she started crying all over again as the abductor stared at her with rapt interest._

_It morphed into a snarl instantly, and Mike didn't even saw him move as the girl doubled over in pain from the swift kick. Coughing up blood, she barely had time to breathe when another kick followed again. And again. **And again.**_

_Everyone was screaming at this point for him to stop but it was doing the complete opposite. A sick crunch came from her head as she fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Frowning, the man bent down and picked her up like a puppet. "And here I thought she was going to last," he tutted in disappointment before holding her out for the others to see his work. Blood trickled down her lips and her eyes had a glassy look to it that greatly resembled his own, bruises covering every inch of her body. Mike was dimly aware that her chest was rising and falling at getting air. The man noticed it as well._

_"Huh. You're still kicking." Brandishing his knife like a sword, Mike couldn't even blink when he felt warm blood splashing on his face as he plunged the knife deeper into her throat before pulling back just as quickly, completely bathing them in the liquid that seemed never ending._

_"You see kids-" He dropped the body like it was garbage and started walking around them once more-"her death may seem harsh or cruel or even unjustified. But it doesn't even come **close** to what it really is. You see Freddy and Bonnie and Chica? Those suits are built entirely out of wires, crossbeams, and other crap- especially in the facial area. Now tell me: Have you ever experience a type of pain that's so **great** it makes you **beg** for death?"_

_No one bothered speaking and he slammed his foot on the girl's head in a burst of anger that it broke the skull, allowing Mike to see bits of brain chunks decorating the already blood-splattered floor. " **ANSWER ME!** " They couldn't have shaken their heads fast enough and his demeanor once again returned to the empty smile. Stopping in front of a boy that couldn't have been older than Mike, he paused and stood perfectly still._

_"Don't k-kill me! Please, d-don't kill-" His begging was transformed into cries of pain when the weapon became buried deep into his shoulder and worsen when it was twisted until it was up to the handle. Speaking above the tortured screams like it was just noise, he yanked the knife from its temporary home and played with it idly._

_"You don't. Well, not yet anyway. But **I** have, and let me tell you something kiddos. It. Is. **Hell.** So!" Ignoring the pain gasps that came from the boy, he gave them the biggest grin that Mike saw and clapped his hands once in excitement. "Who wanna go next?"_

* * *

..........

..............

..................... okay, what the hell keeps poking him?

Cracking an eye open, Mike saw himself looking at a very stoned Mark who had a stupid smile on his face and groaned into his pillow. He didn't need to deal with this bull so early in the morning. Making every effort to just open his mouth the brunet croaked, "What do you want, Mark?"

Thrusting the plate of pancakes into his face, Mark poked his cheek lightly and cooed," Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikey~ Are you okay, my little bun-bun? Did the bad dream scared you?" Pushing the plate away weakly, the younger male managed to glare at him with as must hate he could muster. What did he do to deserve this type of punishment? Why him of all people in this Godforsaken world?

"Ne m'appelez pas que, Mark, ou je vais rejoindre votre chambre dans le cul du siècle prochain."

"English, Mikey."

"Vous baiser J'arrive à parler de quelque façon que je peux motherfucking et vous ne pouvez pas faire une seule chose à son sujet."

"Love you too. Is everything all right though? You were talking and kicking in your sleep and it looked pretty bad."

Barely able to comprehend the question the brunet turned to his side and let out a tiny whimper of pain. A horrible migraine in his head was almost bearable than the relentless throbbing in his right eye. Maybe he banged his head too hard when he fell off the chair yesterday at work. Whatever the answer was, it left Mike experiencing what he could honestly say was the worst hangover of his life. Letting out a soft sigh of what may possibly be understanding, Mark nudged something against the pain male and said," Mikey, get up. You need to drink this."

Another whimper escaped his mouth as he protested about moving, which prompted Mark to turn his limp body to face him and shifted his current form so that he was resting against his chest. At some point, he'd gotten on his bed yet Mike was still reluctant to do what he requested. "Come on Mikey, this will make you feel better."

Opening his mouth to fight the male nearly gagged when something that felt like a pill was shoved into his mouth which was quickly followed by water rushing down his throat. Breaking into a coughing fit, he threw his roommate an angry glare and managed to yell," What the hell, Mark!" He immediately regretted the action and fell back on the pillow from the sudden **collision** of dizziness with a groan. The taller male made a soft noise and rubbed Mike's hair to soothe and, possibly, lull him to sleep.

And it was _fucking working_.

His senses dulling from the pill, he felt his body grow limp as the stoner tucked him back into bed, taking care to close the curtains and tiptoed out of the room with the plate of food. Hours passed without a single bad dream and Mike woke up feeling refreshed. A headache was still there along with the throbbing of his eye, but it was a lot more manageable than it was before.

Taking a quick bath and changing into a gray sweater and jeans he greeted his roommate with a wave and moved to fridge. "Feeling any better?" Noticing his search for food, he offered him a plate of food that looked strangely familiar and the brunet saw that Mark was studying him rather closely like he was waiting for him to do something.

Humming once in agreement he sent him an apologetic smile and started to eat. "Sorry about freaking out earlier. Guess whatever I dreamt had me pretty rattled." The apology was waved off and the man gave him a wide grin that was dripping with the effect of the plant. It morphed into an inquisitive stare that made Mike vaguely uneasy like he saw it before. Letting out a nervous chuckle, he played with the ends of his sleeves and tried not to let the look get to him.

It wasn't working.

Unable to contain himself any longer he asked, "Um, what's with the look? Is there something on my face?" Snapping out of his phase Mark shook his head and steered the conversation to Mike's job, much to his confusion. Despite not saying anything, he'd never liked it when Mark got high. He was a lot more..... _sharper_ when he was in that stage along with being faster in his movements. Although he acts like a doofus half of the time it felt more like an act than his actual personality; most of the time it felt like he was some sort of experiment under his stare. Suppressing a shudder the smaller male ate his breakfast before answering.

"Turns out there's another animatronic I have to watch out and, get this- if you don't keep an eye on him he runs to the office like the bloody devil was after him. If that wasn't enough he drains the power by banging on the door, so with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica _and_ those weird hallucinations, I have my work cut out for me. Hopefully, there won't be a fifth one I have to look for or I'll be boned."

Interest occupying his face Mark tilted his head and questioned about the hallucinations to which Mike shrugged. Waving his hand as he spoke he explained," I don't really know what's up with it, but sometimes the posters would change during the night, although it doesn't happen a lot. The first day I worked there I think it was a crying child, though I may be wrong about it. Yesterday it was a newspaper article of all things- something about missing kids at Freddy's."

Something flickered in Mark's eyes. "I'm sorry, _what?_ "

"Missing kids. Must have happened a long ass time ago though, considering the date of the clipping."

A silence stretched out between them when he suddenly got up and walked towards the door, grabbing a coat along the way as Mike watched in confusion. "Where are you going?" "Out. Make sure to keep an eye on the apartment while I'm gone." Not giving him a chance for input the door was slammed shut, leaving him alone in mild discomfort. Nothing good could come out of this situation.

Gathering his empty dishes and washing it, Mike trudged to the living room and settled onto the couch with a grunt; picking up the remote that was buried into the chair and flipped through the channels aimlessly to calm down his nerves. Hopefully, it's just Mark trying to get another fix or make sure his stash is all right for the time being. Yeah, it's totally isn't his fault for upsetting him that may or may not be his mistake and-

" _SON OF A BITCH!"_

Reeling back from the sheer _force_ , Mike covered his eye from the burning sensation he was suffering and bit back on a scream. Everything shifted back and forth like an unfocused camera, ringing screeching into his ears so loudly he thought he was going to become deaf. For several excruciating moments air was barely able to reach his aching lungs, leaving him hyperventilating as he struggled to even think.

**_help us_ **

The voice flew past him the first time, but Mike heard it the second time and managed to turn his head to the side where it came from. Darkness swarmed around the corners of his vision and he found himself staring only at an empty wall. Even though that was the case he could have sworn he'd saw something shift in the shadows before the ringing and pain became too much to bear.

Mike barely even felt himself collapsed when the voice uttered something that made his blood run cold.

**_you can't_ **


	7. Believer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can you dechiper reality from fantasy? The simple answer-
> 
> You can't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long one because I feel like it.

Look at cameras.  
  
Turn on door lights.  
  
Make sure no one is there and if there is, close it.  
  
See if they're still there, then open the door.  
  
Repeat.  
  
It was a simple enough mantra to remember, and Mike had it down to the last second as he worked like a machine; hell, he almost _felt_ like one the longer he stayed. The night seemed never-ending. He was surprised that the power can even survive this long considering the multiple times Foxy graced him with his presence.  
  
Heavy mechanical whirls buzzed in his ears, sparks hissing somewhere outside his office and grinding off in the distance. Static fuzzed each time he checks the different view point, sometimes growing heavy whenever the animatronic moved, and he was left with temporary blindness until it cleared. Every little noise had him jumping out of his skin and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.  
  
Glancing over his shoulder for what felt like the hundredth time, Mike forced himself to relax as he once again closed the door from Bonnie, switching from the stage to the kitchen where he paused.  
  
After several seconds he finally heard the tell-tale sounds of Chica doing God's know what in there from the lack of visuals. At least he knows where she is for the moment since the chicken seems to have a soft spot for that certain room, although he could hardly call himself surprised given the fact that she seems to be associated with food.  
  
_Stay calm, Mike. You can survive another night in this hell._  
  
_How do you know?_  
  
Freezing at the second thought. The brunet searched the room frantically but realized quickly that there was literally no one in the building except for the five animatronic that was bent on stuffing him in a suit.  
  
_Everyone who comes here always meets the same fate- Death. You won't be much of a difference._  
  
_But-_  
  
_Why do you even stay here anyway? You could have left after the first shift, but it almost looks like you want to die. Or maybe you've gotten cocky. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case._  
  
_I'm not cocky, I'm just-_  
  
Mike paused when he realized what he was doing and made an attempt to ignore the conversation for as long as he can until six AM arrives. He'd heard that people talk to themselves just to get ideas flowing or whatever they do when they do that, but even the brunet knows that what he was doing was taking it to another level.  
  
_Look at the cameras. Maybe you can find something different._  
  
Reluctantly taking his eyes away from the door, he did a quick sweep of the building and did a double take. Going through the feed again yielded the same results- The pizzeria was completely empty.  
  
_**Shit!** Where the hell did they-_  
  
_You're not gonna find them, Mike- They're gone. Now might be the perfect time to do some investigation._  
  
The shock couldn't even begin to cover the emotions that the brunet felt at the idea. What in the ever loving fuck was that voice thinking?! Glaring at nothing, he shook his head so hard he felt lightheaded and continued looking through the static in hopes of finding at least some evidence that he wasn't alone.  
  
_You must be out of your goddamn mind if you think I'm going out there._  
  
_Relax. Nothing is going to happen to you, I'm positive. Now get up your lazy ass, grab the flashlight in the drawer, and look around before it's too late._  
  
Ignoring the voice proved to be more difficult than he'd thought, and after several minutes of pointless arguing he finally gave in and groped around blindly for a few moments before finding said flashlight. Clicking it on to see if it works, the security guard poked his head out of the left door and checked to see if anything was there before venturing into the dark. It hit him that this was the first time he'd actually explored the building during his shift, and it made him feel ten times more vulnerable than he actually felt.  
  
If he thought to look at the building through the camera was creepy, then this took the goddamn cake. Walking through the dilapidated building with nothing but a flashlight (He would have taken the fan but it was stuck onto the table) he might as well be in some shitty horror movie. Hell, that would be a lot better than going through this nightmare bullshit every day. Heaving a shaky sigh, he peeked into the dining area and saw that it was covered in the typical decorations for a birthday party. He almost expected to see Chica or Bonnie waiting for him in the corner and he swept the light over the room for what felt like the tenth time.  
  
_What in God's name are you doing?_  
  
_Making sure that I don't get killed by the robots, that's why. What do you want me to look for, anyway?_  
  
Waiting for the answer that never came, Mike huffed in annoyance and continued his exploring, pausing to find what appears to be the kitchen and took a quick look inside, which was a waste of time seeing that there was nothing abnormal about it (Aside from the smell, which was a mixture of stale cheese and rotten fruits). Now he was more confused as to why the camera doesn't work in this specific area while the rest are in semi-good condition. Either they were too lazy to repair the broken equipment, or they didn't want to spend any extra money on something they deemed useless. Cracking his knuckles to ease the tension coursing through his body, Mike found himself heading to pirate's cove and aimed the flashlight at the dark purple covering with the faded stars.  
  
Something was drawing him to this location and, steeling his nerves, he pushed back the curtains and fully expected to come face-to-face with the captain of this ship. Instead, he discovered a teenager laying down on the floor with dry blood splattered around him. A long angry slit of his throat continued to push blood out and all along his arms were similar marks that ranged in length and thickness. His eye was an empty pool with gore covering a good portion of his face while the other eye was a golden brown that almost seemed to glow against the darkness. Realizing that he was found, the boy turned his head to address Mike and stood up, giving him a quick smile and extended his hand.  
  
_Well, it's about time you found me, Mike. I'm  Alex._  
  
He didn't look any older than fifth-teen, and Mike found that it took a lot out of him to stay this calm.  
  
"Holy shit what the hell happened to you?!"  
  
It didn't last long. An amused look crossed Alex's face as he shrugged, although the dangerous glint in his eyes told the brunet that it was more than a touchy subject. Running a hand through his dark red hair, the teen sighed in Mike's head and shoved his hands into the olive green coat that, like his body, was dripping in blood and holes.  
  
_I don't really want to talk about that at the moment, but seeing as you opened the topic for me, I guess there's no choice. As you can so plainly see-_  
Here he gestured to his body- _I'm dead, but don't think that I'm the only one. There are more of us here, Mike, but they can't show themselves to you considering that we're not at the pizzeria. But I have a feeling that you're already friends with them, no?_  
  
"Hold the bloody phone- what do you mean that we're not at the pizzeria?" Shrugging again, Alex started to pace in the cramped area and gestured to the walls around them, a sly smile on his face.  
  
_Isn't it obvious? This is all a dream, Mikey; a dream where I planned our little...... 'get-together'. Time's running out, Mike- we can't keep doing this anymore._  
  
"You can't keep doing what, exactly?" He demanded, frustration leaking his voice. Despite the anger, however, he was acutely aware of how badly his hands were shaking and folded them across his chest in an attempt to hide it.  
  
_**This.** We can't keep killing innocent night guards Mike. We want to be free, but we can't if the Purple Man is still on the loose and killing more kids. Someone has to stop him._  
  
"And you want me to do it?" This was absurd, even to him. There was no way he can deal with this child murderer, and what was he going to do if he finds him? Kindly ask him to stop killing kids and live happily ever after? Mark has a much better chance at dealing with this than he did, sober or not. Alex gave him an exasperated look and started gesturing more wildly than before.  
  
_Oh, you're right! What on earth was I thinking? Of course, a group of dead kids can fight the same fucking person that killed us in the first place- Thanks for opening my eyes, Mike!_  
  
"What do you want me to do then?!"  
  
_**Help us.** **Save us!** Why is that so hard to understand- Shit._  
  
The earth trembled violently underneath their feet, the males losing their footing and falling to the floor as the building started to crack and crumbled around them. "What the hell's happening?!" Mike managed to choke before letting out a cry of pain when one of the decorations landed on his head.  
  
_Two things: Either you're waking up or there's something else with us._ Glaring him straight in the eyes, Alex jabbed a finger in his direction. _Don't think that this conversation's over._  
  
Opening his mouth to let out something nasty, Mike barely had time to blink when more of the building structure collapsed around them-

 

* * *

 **Wednesday,** **November 5th. 10:11 AM**

* * *

Letting out a gasp, Mike tumbled off the couch and landed on the floor with as much grace as an elephant. "I have got to stop doing that......" he groaned into the carpet, rubbing his face to soothe the pain. The memory of the dream came rushing back and he found himself concerned for the safety of Alex before he quickly brushed it away. He was probably hallucinating because of the job at Freddy's, though he'd admit that coming up with a character like _that_ was impressive, even for him.

_Don't pat yourself on the back yet, Mikey. This ain't over yet._

Coughing out of sheer surprise, it took the brunet several moments to compose himself before he managed to speak. "How are you still real?!" Was the first thing that popped out of his mouth, and he could almost _feel_ Alex's smirk in his head.

_Dunno. We must have done something to do this, but at least I don't have to knock you unconscious again. The first time was a reeeeeal pain in the ass, and I rather not do that again, if you don't mind.  
_

"Cut the crap and answer me this: Who _are_ you, and what are you doing in my brain?" For a couple of minutes, there was nothing but dead silence, and Mike was beginning to think that he really _was_ hallucinating when the voice finally answered, although he couldn't help but notice the change. Instead of being sarcastic, it sounded a lot more...... _weaker_ , like talking about this was something that he would rather not discuss.

_......Telling you who I am may be a bit...... **difficult** since I can't really....... remember what happened before I died. As for how I got into your mind, I don't really know either. Maybe you took something from the building that belonged to me, although I highly doubt it considering that you get out of that damn place like the devil's behind you._

"So let me get this straight," Mike pinched the bridge of his nose as he shifted around so that he was now sitting cross-legged on the floor," you're telling me that you have no idea _how_ you got into my body _and_ you don't remember who you were?" He was almost positive that Alex shrugged and he groaned into his hands. "Great, just great! The job's already getting to me and I'm halfway from heading into a mental asylum."

_Chin up, Mikey.  Just talk to me in your mind whenever there's someone around and  we can get through this- Your brother's coming._

Brother? "I don't have a-" The door opened as Mark strode inside before stopping short and looking at Mike, who stared at him like he was seeing a fucking ghost. "Oh, hey Mike! Whatcha doing on the floor, buddy?"

_How did you do that?_

_.......I would be lying if  I said  I knew._

Running a hand through his hair, the brunet stayed silent for thirty seconds before picking himself off the floor and grabbing some money. "Where are you going?" Mark asked, flopping onto the couch and turning on the TV.

"I'm going to the bar. Do you want anything?"

"No, but are you sure that you should be drinking after what happened?

Scoffing, Mike allowed a weary smile to grace his face as he paused in the doorway. "Mark, after all the bullshit I went through, I fucking _deserve_ a beer."

The door closed with a soft click, and Mark stared at it before lighting up a fix and inhaling it deeply. "I think this whole world needs a fucking beer."


	8. Echo

* * *

**Wednesday, November 5th. 12:01 PM**

* * *

_This is such a bad idea, Mike._  
  
_Shut up and let me enjoy this goddamn beer._  
  
Alex stayed quiet after that, which Mike was immensely thankful for. Drowning down another beer, he let out a content sigh as the alcohol burned his throat and left him feeling warm and lightheaded. He hasn't had a drink in what felt like years, so he didn't know how much it would take for him to become drunk, although judging from the buzzing he felt, he was doing good.  
  
_What do you hope to accomplish if you do this? What do you gain from drinking away your problems?_  
  
_Do you not understand the meaning of shutting up?_  
  
_Apparently not, now answer the damn question._  
  
Letting out a low growl, he narrowed his eyes at nothing and swished the content in the bottle around and looked at the fairly quiet bar in hopes of distracting himself, yet all it did was made him uneasy. It had nothing to do with the occupants- some of them even talked to him about mundane things- or the bar itself; it had a warm atmosphere as music softly played above them while others played pool, glasses clinking against each other and laughter breaking out at different points in the room. Something was making him feel uncomfortable and he didn't know what and it was starting to drive him mad.  
  
_Is it because you can't accept the fact that there's a dead boy occupying your body? Or does this have to do with our request?_  
  
_Why can't you just leave me alone?_  
  
_Do you think I want this, Michale?_ Alex demanded, and the brunet felt himself shrinking at the rise in volume. _Do you honestly think that I **want** to be in this fucking situation where I'm **dead** along with my friends and our parents have no idea where we are? Hell, they might not be **alive** for all I know! **I never asked for this, Mike! We want to die but we can't!** What part of that do you **not understand?!**_  
  
Mike couldn't stop the words that came out. _"I don't understand why you need me!"_ The entire bar went quiet except for the crackling of music that continued, and the brunet didn't need to look to know that all eyes were on him. Hastily taking out some money and paying for the drinks, he exited the bar and began power-walking in some random direction, bringing his head down to hide the flush of shame that decorated his face. Great, this was exactly what he needed- People thinking that he was more insane than he actually was. A small part of him actually believed that he was really going crazy, and he forced that thought down. The teenager was silent inside his head except for the short burst of breaths that made his skin crawl.  
  
_Alright, clearly there is some tension between us, so how about we try to act like civilize adults and get to know each other better. How about you start, Mikey._  
  
Mike was tempted to ignore what he was saying but after considering that he may not stop bothering him, the brunet caved and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes.  
  
_What, you don't have access to my memories and need the password?_  
  
But that didn't mean that he was going to make it easy. A groan of annoyance vibrated in his head as the brunet looked for a secluded area where they can talk in peace. It took him a while but he found an area in the park where no one was going to bothered them and made himself comfortable. With the alcohol kicking in at high force, he figured that he might as well tolerate this bullshit until he was sober.  
  
_If I was able to do that, then I wouldn't be doing this shit now, would I? Although now that you brought up the topic, I do have access to your memories, although they are very limited. The same goes for you, considering that you've been tapping into my memories since day one. But my one is already limited as it is, so most of what you're getting is what I can remember._  
  
"Wait, you mean to tell me that those weird dreams are your memories?" Mike exclaimed, speaking out loud since there was no one near him that could hear him. Then that would mean that he was with him since day one, but it didn't make any goddamn sense. None of this made any _sense_! "If you were with me since the beginning, why didn't you told me something?" Alex shrugged, and again Mike had to wonder if he was actually doing the motion or he was just imagining it. Now he was more than glad that he wasn't sober to deal with this, otherwise, he would have blown a fuse a long time ago.  
  
_I'm new to this, Mikey, so cut me some slack. Maybe I was with you, but I just wasn't strong enough to contact you- the most I was able to do was manipulate your dreams, and even then that may have been an accident all on its own. Whatever you did might have caused this, although the most I see are your pitiful nights in that hell. Maybe when my......um,_ body _decided to pay you a visit something happened to us. Y' know, like a soul transfer or something._

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

_You're working at a pizzeria that has five animatronics that is bent on killing you that are control by dead children, and you think my theory about a soul transfer is far-fetched? Damn, you really are a tough nut to crack, Mikey, although the idea of you bringing something back that belonged to me isn't that far off the list._

Rubbing his temples as a headache slowly started to form, the brunet groaned under his breath and stared at the sky like it held the answer to his problems.

_God, why is this so complicated?_

"God, why is this so complicated?"

They did a double-take when they spoke in perfect sync. "That's new," Mike chuckled, although it had a nervous edge in it and he didn't know why. The feeling of being watched returned in full force, and he found himself biting down on his nails as he waited for Alex input, although even he could sense the shift. In fact, he seemed almost as nervous as he was, although he was doing a much better job at hiding it. Even so, he heard the way his voice wavered when he spoke.

_You feel it too, huh? I thought it was all in my head, but now......  
_

Wrapping his arms around his body he couldn't stop the shudder that ran down his back, looking around the park in paranoia. The feeling of being watched returned tenfold and he wanted desperately to leave; picking himself off the grass and walking back to his apartment as fast as he can without breaking out into a run. In his head he heard Alex trying to calm him down, although it may as well be noise.

_Mike, what are you doing?_

"I'm trying to get away from whatever that feeling is," he hissed, ignoring the strange looks people sent his way as he shove his way through the crowd. He didn't care if he was bringing more attention to himself, he just wanted to go home and try to forget that this whole day even existed. Alex made a noise of acknowledgement but otherwise didn't comment on the topic, and while Mike was grateful for the temporary quiet, it still unnerved him to some extent about what it might implies.

When he finally made it back home, he crashed on the couch next to Mark and heaved a heavy sigh through his teeth, the older roommate immediately running his hand through Mike's fluffy hair as a way to ease his tension while the brunet rested his head on his lap. "What's wrong, Mikey?" He slurred, and there was the heavy stench of smoke that lingered on his clothes. The brunet let out another sigh and rubbed his eyes. "Nothing. _Everything._ I don't really know where to start...."

_How about from the beginning?_

"How about from the beginning?"

A shiver ran down his spine at the combined voices but he didn't say anything for a while and he found that it was hard to talk. Swallowing thickly, he opened his mouth and struggled to find the right words before giving up and closing his eyes. "It's that hard, huh?" Mark commented with a tinge of sympathy in his voice. Mike nodded in his lap but didn't say anything after that, instead focusing his attention on the TV in front of them. It was playing a movie that he faintly recalled hating but couldn't find it in him to change the channel, so they fell into a comfortable silence. For a moment, it reminded Mike of a distant memory with his family, and he felt his mouth curl upwards slightly. He was content with staying like this for as long as he can without some life changing revolution attacking him around every corner, even if it was with a druggie and a dead boy. Even Alex was quiet, which he quickly found to be a rarity when all he ever seem to do is talk. In some weird way, it almost felt like the calm before the storm.

It didn't last.

At some point during the movie- the other one was long over and they were almost finishing their second one- Mark got up to make dinner and Mike was left to his own device. His glasses was long since removed and was occupying a space on the coffee table, so everything was just a blur of moments and colors for the brunet. The TV was long since forgotten and he stared at the wall for so long he was sure that it was moving like he was underwater, but he needed something to focus on that wasn't the hangover that was steadily growing stronger. "God, that was such a bad idea...." He groaned into the pillow, refusing to move from his temporary bed. In his head, Alex let out a snort that was a mix of amusement and annoyance.

_I try to warn you, but you didn't listen. Now I have to suffer with you- Thanks a lot Mike._

"You're welcome." He grinned when he heard Alex let out a loud groan of annoyance as Mark poked his head from the kitchen and placed a hand on his hips, an apron that had the words _Kiss the Chef_ written in curly handwriting stained from months of used, and the brunet made a mental note to get him a new one. "Dinner's ready, so just leave it to cool for awhile." Noticing Mike's hangover, he went back to the kitchen and came back with some pills and a cup of water, which he was thankful for. Drinking the medicine in one go, the brunet settled back on the couch and continued to watch the movie, although it was clear that his mind was elsewhere. "Everything's alright, Mike?" There was the brief moment where he considered not answering but realized that it would just worry Mark more, so he simply shrugged and hoped that that was good enough.

_You have to tell him at some point, Michale. I'm sure he would understand._

_If you're so certain then why don't you do it? Besides, I'm not sure if that's a good idea, considering he's high as a kite right now- he'll probably forget what I told him in a minute._ What good would it do to tell him, anyway? Best case scenario is that he'll think that it's the effect of the alcohol, and worst case scenario is that he'll go to the crazy house faster than he can blink. Hell, Mike wasn't sure if  _he_ understood what was going on too. How did a simple job of watching a pizzeria turned into him fighting for his life and dealing with dead children and a child murderer?

_Look, from what I saw, Mark seems to be a pretty okay guy. Sure he smokes half of the time, but sober or not he really care for your safety, and if you told him of what's going on at Freddy's, then either he's humoring you or he genuinely believe you. Give it a try, Mike; it's not like you're asking for his hand in marriage._

Rolling his eyes, Mike got up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen, where he saw the man playing with Candy, a stupid grin on his face. Pausing in the entryway, the brunet was content with watching the scene and wasn't aware of the faint smile on his face. Despite how annoying Mark was, he was as harmful as a kitten and sometimes it took him by surprise when he remembered that he was the oldest. It reminded Mike of how he used to act with his cousin and the smile grew before he remembered why he came here in the first place. "Hey Mark, do you mind if we talk?" Looking up at the voice, the man blinked before nodding his head, bringing the rabbit close to his chest and ran his fingers through her fur.

It took him a while to find the right words, but when he did he found that he couldn't stop. Throughout his story Mark didn't interrupt him once and when he was finally done he leaned back into his chair, his brows knitted in concentration. Several seconds passed which quickly turned into minutes and Mike found himself unconsciously biting on his nail and forced himself to stop- if he kept doing that then the only thing that will be left is nubs.

_I told you this was a bad idea._

_Oh, don't go telling me what a bad idea is!_

Before the two could go into another heated argument, his roommate finally decided to break the silence. "I never expected things to go like.....well, _this_." Confusion went across Mike's feature as he rested his head against his arm, tufts of hair falling over his eyes but he didn't bothered moving it. "What do you mean by that, Mark?" Removing himself from the table, he placed Candy back into her cage and leaned against the table, a distant look in his eyes as he held his arm.

"Ugh, I definitely don't want to do this now....." He muttered in annoyance under his breath before casting Mike a sideways glance, who never once took his eyes off a stray mug near the sink; Mark couldn't help but notice how his mouth moved but no sounds came out like he was having a conversation with himself. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath that he didn't realized he was holding before opening his eyes, his mind made up. Snapping his finger to gain the younger male's attention, which he successfully did. "Alright Mike, this may come as sort as a shock, but before I met you, I worked with Freddy's for.......seven years? Yeah, seven seems accurate."

If Mike was drinking something, he would have done a spit take; hell, even Alex was shocked with the sudden news. "Holy shit, _really_ _?_ What were you thinking?!" "At the time, nothing. I was the day guard there along with my friend Scott, who was there since the very _beginning_. Sometimes I would be the night guard though whenever the guy would actually become sick, and believe me, I can relate to what you're going through." The brunet leaned back into his chair and started drumming his fingers against the table in a way to prevent himself from biting his nails.

_Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events? I never expected your druggie to be a member of our little family. Heh,  he have more balls than you.  
_

_Will you just shut the fuck up already?_

_TRY ME, MOTHERFUCKER!_

Trying not to rip his hair out because of this insufferable prick inside his head, he chose to focus on the topic at hand. "So...why did you quit? And why the hell did you recommend me the job in the first place?" A chuckle that held no mirth escaped Mark's lips, his hand entangled in his black locks as he tilted his head to the side, peering at him with only one eye. "If I had to be honest, I wanted to see how long it would take for you to survive- I don't hate you, I was just curious. But another part of me wanted to know how you would react to their request. So far, it's going well. I just never expected you to bring one of them _back_ with you."

_What can I say? I'm full of surprise. Now it's time for the million dollar questions: Will you help us?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The movie was a lot longer than he'd thought, and Mike was drinking for a long time.


	9. Blue Lips, Blue Veins.

* * *

**Thursday, November 5th. 11:55 PM**

* * *

_Mike, I am **begging** you- Quit the damn job already!  
_

_Why?_

Alex sputtered, clearly caught off guard by the question, before retaliating back in anger, like he was insulted.

 _Are you **shitting** me right now?! What part of "Death around every corner" do you **not understand?**_ _What good are you to me if you're dead?_

Sipping the coffee and making a face at the taste- he told Mark not to add too much sugar and that's exactly what the idiot did- he took out his keys and unlocked the front doors for the pizzeria. Everything was still where he remembered it: dark, horrifying, and smelly. Do the cleanup crew even do their jobs properly?

_No, I understand it._

_THEN WHY AREN'T YOU LEAVING?_

_Because I can't. And stop shouting already.  
_

The ghost became quiet and Mike could almost see him with his arms folded across his chest and an angry pout on his face as he tried to think of a clever comeback. It almost made him smile. Sliding into his office and shrugging his bag into a corner, he picked the tablet off the desk and leaned back into his swivel chair, crossing his legs as he got comfortable. Any minute now Phone Guy would call, and he dimly recalled hating the man when now he found himself awaiting a call like a lovesick teen. It was amazing how one guy can make such a huge difference for the brunet.

Adjusting his glasses with a finger, he checked the time and saw that he had about a minute left before his shift began and he found himself staring at the ceiling like it was God.

_You're being awfully quiet tonight, Alex. What's wrong?_

There was a pause before the answer came, the playful smile that was on his face slowly fading into a frown when the teen spoke, and he almost sounded apprehensive. Opening his mouth, he stopped when the watch beeped the time, and the feeling became worse.

_Oh, God...._

Slipping the smile back on despite how fake it felt, Mike said," Alright, Alex, that's enough playing around." No reply. Wringing his hands in distraught, the brunet snuck an uneasy glance to his side when the phone began to ring, startling him so badly he almost fell off his chair. "Goddammit Phones you almost gave me a fucking heart attack," he grumbled to himself as he got back on the chair.

"Hello, hello? Hey! Hey, wow, day four. I knew you could do it."

"Thanks for the confidence boost."

The man on the phone sounded almost uncomfortable as he paused before talking."Uh, hey, listen, I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow." Banging quickly came forth and reflex made Mike closed the door as his mind screamed that Foxy was at the door, but it took him a moment to realize that it came from the phone. It then took him another moment to realize what was going on on the other end of the call, and he felt his blood turn cold.

_Oh God.....not him...._

"It's-It's been a bad night here for me. Um, I-I'm kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you," he cleared his throat," Uh, when I did."

_God not him please don't let it be him oh god oh god_

"Uh, hey, do me a favor." More banging came over the message, and Mike felt himself wincing with every bang. He didn't even remember covering his ears, the only thing that made it into his shattered mind was how badly he was trembling and the persistent stinging behind his eyes. "Maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits in the back room?" More banging. His chest was growing tight. "I'm gonna to try to hold out until someone checks. Maybe it won’t be so bad."

_He knows he's going to die oh god why are you still talking_

"Uh, I-I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads back there." A chime began playing in the background against the chaos and chills went down his back when he remembered his own near-death encounter with the ringleader of the show.

_Why the hell are you doing this to me God_

"You know-" Phone Guy was cut-off by a deep moan and what he said next was enough to push the brunet to his breaking point. If anyone else was in this situation they would have screamed or maybe even put up a fight. The only thing he said was "Oh no..." before there was an eruption of noises followed by an inhuman screech before cutting off to static, and he felt like a piece of him died as well.

Tears ran down his face as he bit his hand to keep himself from screaming and completely ignored the copper that seeped into his mouth. At this point, he wasn't even concerned that the animatronics might be waiting at the door- he couldn't even see a damn thing anyway with how hard he was crying.

_Wait._

Rubbing his eyes with the base of his hand, he slipped the tablet onto his lap and searched through the different checkpoints before pausing on the show stage. All of the performers were there in their respective spots and it was already 12:15, including Foxy. Confusion managed to find a home in Mike's mind as he sniffed before turning his head to the left door, which at some point he reopened it. Why weren't they attacking him?

_Because they're fucking with me, that's why. They **know** what they did to him._

He didn't have it in him to be angry, no matter how hard he tried. Maybe later. Maybe never.

God, why did he felt so _cold?_

* * *

**Friday, November 6th. 5:55 AM**

* * *

Mike couldn't remember much after the call. His entire body felt numb, and his mind refused to make sense of it. That's okay- he didn't want to remember it.

Freddy visited him several times that night- Foxy did as well, but it wasn't as frequent as it used to be- plus the only reason he knew it was him was that he would give off a deep laugh that echoed down the halls. Interestingly enough, the brunet would never see the bear appear next to the window when he turned on the light, although he chalked it up to his current distress. Only one thing was clear in his head: the request that Phone Guy told him before his death.

A small part of him said that he might be able to survive, however absurd that may seem. Another portion told him not to get his hopes up since the chances of surviving something like that is highly unlikely. He told that part to shut the fuck up. Jumping his leg to keep himself from going mad, Mike checked his left side and glared at the purple rabbit before giving him the bird, focusing his attention to the tablet as Foxy stared into the monitor with dead eyes and his jaw unhinged.

"Go burn in hell," he muttered darkly under his breath. The fox only stared at him before the view changed into static and the fox was back in it's home.

Blinking in mild surprise, he switched to the closet and paused. Taking a moment to rub his eyes, he leaned forward to make sure he was seeing the right thing and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. The poster that was usually there was replaced with a golden version of Freddy- the only difference besides the color change was the fact that there were two black holes where his eyes should be. A nagging sensation made its way to the back of his mind that the bear looked familiar, but he just shrugged it off and lowered the screen.

"JESUS CHRIST!"

Collapsing to the floor in an ungraceful heap, Mike pushed his body back until he was pressed against the wall. His heart was beating so hard he thought it was going to pop out of his chest and he couldn't hear anything except for the blood pounding in his ears.

How in the ever-loving _fuck_ did he not notice the golden doppelganger entered the office?!

The robot took up half of the space in the already cramped office, his body slumped over like a broken toy as he stared at the adult with white pinpricks that glowed in his dark eyes. Mike clamped his hands over his ears as distorted voices screamed "It's Me" over and over in head, images flashing in front of him of Bonnie's head mimicking the intruder's death stare. For several moments- it felt like hours to Mike- he stayed in that corner and waited for his inevitable death.

_....What in God's name are you doing?_

Jerking back in surprise and fear and banging his head against the wall, he searched frantically for the voice before remembering who was talking and leaned back in momentarily relief before jumping to his feet and making a mad dash to the back room. Alex made a noise and he could almost feel the bewilderment that came off him in waves as he stopped in front of the Parts and Services room. Cold dread washed over his body and he found that he couldn't stop trembling.

_Michael, what in God's name is going on?_

"Phone Guy- he needs help. H-he was caught and I d-don't know if he might be alive oh god what if he's dead I can't do it I can't-"

_Hey!_

Breathing heavily and running a hand through his hair, Mike glanced to his side and saw Alex standing beside him with a comforting smile on his pale face, the missing eye covered by his hair as golden brown eyes shimmered in quiet confidence. A moment passed between them before the red head spoke.

_You got this, captain._

Nodding once, the brunet gave him a thumbs-up before taking a deep breath and, gathering up all his nerves, pushed the door opened and came face to face with rows of Chica's and Bonnie's heads, making him jump in surprise. There was a heavy stench of blood in the room and he started to gag involuntary, taking the edge of his shirt and pressing it against his nose in hopes of damping the smell before venturing forward. 

In front of him was Freddy Fazbear himself, his body slumped over itself as blood leaked over his dark brown fur and, true to Phone Guy's words, two eyeballs was draped over the bear's face and Mike let out a noise of disgust, although he had no idea where the teeth were and frankly- he didn't want to know. Clearing his throat while also trying to fight off the bile that threatens to rise up, he took a step forward and stopped when his foot hit a puddle underneath the bench. He didn't need to check it to know that it was blood, and fighting back the urge to vomit, he opened his mouth and started to speak.

What came out was a pathetic squeak that didn't even reached more than an inch, so Mike took a deep breath and tried again. "H-hello? Hello?" The bear didn't respond, and Mike felt the familiar sting behind his eyes when a faint movement caught his attention, and he felt his heart skipped a beat. There was the faint twitch of a mechanical finger before a low moan of pain managed to reach his ears and Mike felt like he was going to laugh and cry at the same time.

Taking out his phone with agitated hands, he dialed nine-one-one and pressed it against his ear, mumbling to Phone Guy," It's gonna be okay Phones. We're gonna be all right." He let out another moan before staying quiet.

"Nine-one-one, how may we help you?" A kind voice said, and Mike felt himself relax for the first time in what felt like days as he leaned against one of the shelves. "There's an accident at Freddy's Fazbear Pizzeria- a friend of mine got trapped in a suit and _shit!_ " While he was talking his hand managed to find itself roaming the shelf and there was a sharp stab of pain that flared in his hand. Whatever he touched must have hit his hand deep as he pressed it against his shirt to try to stop the bleeding, the lady on the other end momentarily forgotten.

"Sir! Sir, are you alright?"

"Yeah yeah, I-I'm fine. I just cut myself on something," he found himself slurring as the world spun around him. Pressing the bloody hand against his head, he struggled to find his footing when he felt a surge of dizziness washing over him while a shrieking ringing echoed in his ears. His senses dulled and he found himself hitting the floor before the only thing he was able to see was black.

* * *

_The pain in his eye was unbearable._

_It felt like someone had lite up a lighter and shove it in his eye, and he found that the more he screamed the worse the feeling became until the only thing that was left of him was soft whimpers. There was nothing but static in his left vision although he was sure that it was staring back at him from the bloody floor. His throat felt like it was ripped from the inside and he was pretty sure that he had lost his voice from how hard he was begging the man to stop._

_But no one came, and he was left to rot in this hell until he finally die._

_Death was taking it sweet time to come._

_Lying on the his back, he didn't need his eyes to know that everyone else was dead; the stench of blood was suffocating. The killer had left a long time ago, yet the concept of time seemed insignificant after all he had been through- after all, **they** had been through. Releasing a dying breath, he allowed his head to turn to the left and found that his hand was thrown into a corner. So that's where it went._

_Something moved out of the corner of his eye and he felt his body tensed. Did he come back? His fear turned into confusion when a tall puppet emerged from the shadows with tear tracks running down it's face and a wide grin on it's mask. A music box chimed in the distance and his only option was to watch the puppet as it roamed the dark room and picked something off the shelf._

_Whatever it grabbed it was big enough to cover the ghost-like creature completely from what he could make out. To his surprise the puppet was holding a large birthday present that had a big red bow and gave it to the dead girl before doing the same to the other two kids. When it came to him it paused before placing it besides your arm before surveying it's work. Despite the eternal grin that was on it's mask it seemed almost unsatisfied and began floating around the room.  
_

_A Freddy Fazbear head appeared in it's hands and placed it on top of the girl's head before doing the same with Chica and Bonnie for the two boys, and once again it paused in front of him with a Foxy head in it's hands. Then it's body began to glitch out until a boy stood in front of him, the mask still present on his face. Bringing down the mask, the smile seemed to grow as darkness swarmed around his limited senses._

You won't die.


	10. Migraine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, but school starts tomorrow, so that means longer pauses. Starting today, future chapters will be updated once or twice a week, depending on how free I am.

* * *

**Friday, November 6th. 10:45 AM**

* * *

When Mike woke up it felt like all the air had been sucked out of his body and he found himself gasping and choking for oxygen as he bolted upwards in his chair. Mark was at his side in seconds, patting his back to relieve the pain as the brunet took in a deep breath of air to fill his burning lungs. Several seconds passed until he finally managed to calm down, and he glanced at the older male with a mixture of confusion and exhaustion.

"L'Esprit me dit qu'est-ce qui se passe?"

Mark breathed out and ran a hand through his hair, his gaze never once on Mike; it took the security guard a moment to realize that he was actually sober and his hands tighten around the bed sheet. If memory serves, Mark should be at work by now, so why was he still at home?

_Because you're not at home, you idiot. You're at the hospital._

"I'm at the hospital?!" His hands clamped over his mouth as soon as the words came out and he felt his face heat up. Soft shuffling caught his attention and when he turned his head to the side Mark was staring intensely at him and oh god why was he staring at him like that? His eyes wandered to the desk that was beside his bed and landed on his phone, and he felt his heart stopped.

Grabbing the front of the addict's shirt, he stared into his green eyes and demanded," Where's Phone Guy?" Holding up his hands in self-defense, Mark opened his mouth to explain when a nurse stepped into the room with a clipboard in her hand. She took one look at the scene and didn't even stop to ask questions; instead choosing to rush to the bed and pulled Mike away from the man. "Sir, you need to rest! You can't be doing that in here after what you went through!" Yanking her arm away, the brunet gave her an incredulous look and rubbed his palm, which was starting to itch. "I don't need to rest. And what do you mean by that?"

_Mike, I think I know what she means._

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he waved his hand in a motion to let him continue without coming out as crazy while Mark talked with the nurse in the doorway.

_While you were talking on the phone, you cut yourself on something and then tapped into my memories again, correct?_

_Get on with it, Alex._

_You passed out without telling the lady where Phones was, so I was left with two options: Leave you there and hope that you would wake up soon, or...._

His hand stopped moving as he processed the information. "You possessed me," he said under his breath, cerulean eyes widening in shock.

_I had no other choice, Michael. Besides, I couldn't do much with your body anyway-  I just had to wait for them to come and show them the body. Possessing a human is a **lot** more difficult than possessing an animatronic, and even doing something as simple as walking was enough to drain me. And it turns out that leaving an organic....."host" can cause you to have a seizure or something that can resemble one. The more you know, huh?  
_

"Why-" Mike stopped himself and switched to talking inside his mind, his eyes never once leaving the two adults as the nurse cast a nervous glance before quickly averting her eyes back to Mark.

_Why couldn't you just wait until-_

_Until you woke up? Not unless you want a dead Phone Guy on your hands- the guy waited almost a day and a half for someone to find him, and I don't think he would have survived any longer with you MIA._

As much as Mike wanted to argue, Alex was right, so he clamps his mouth shut and rubbed his eyes before realizing that he didn't have on his glasses. That explains why everything was so blurry. Fetching them off the desk, he was about to put it on when he noticed the specks of blood on it and sighed to himself before placing it back on the table. "Son of a bitch I just got those," he complained under his breath, completely ignoring the voice that kept saying his name until it got to the point that he was shouting.

_Mike you idiot you didn't get that from this morning it's your fucking hand!_

Jumping at the sudden rise in volume the brunet saw that the hand with the cut was bleeding and quickly pressed it against his white shirt, panic rising in his chest. Shit, he didn't even notice that! "Thanks, Alex," he muttered, yet the teen only made a dismissive noise and he could almost see him folding his arms.

_Shut up. Whatever happens to your body I can feel too: remember when I felt that hangover after you try to drink away your problems?_

_Don't remind me. But what happened to-_

_Surgery. You've been out for a while now, so I think he should be done._

_That's a relief._

"Hey Mike, the doc said that you're good to go and- what happened to your hand?" Waving him off with his uninjured hand, he gave him a faint smile and removed the sheets. His legs felt like jelly when he stood up and leaned against the wall for support until he felt like he could continue. "Is Phone Guy alright?" Passing him an old bag that was stuffed with clothes- the one he had on was too small for him and smelled like medicine- the black haired male gave a quick nod and closed the door behind them. "Yeah, Scott's alright. He's a tough guy, believe it or not- he can handle himself."

Pausing in front of the boy's bathroom, Mike gave him a look as he put two and two together. "Wait, so you're telling me that Phones is the person you _worked_ with before you quit?"

_Ding ding ding! Guess who earned a gold star for very a good job!_

_Shut the fuck up._

Shit, that explains why Mark looked like he was going to jump off a building. Running a hand through his hair, the brunet looked down and opened his mouth to say something, but his mind was too fried to even make up a coherent sentence. In the end, he patted the older male's shoulder and was rewarded with a strained smile before he entered the bathroom to change.

The bathroom was small and, like the rest of the building was painted a dull shade of gray that made Mike nauseous, although that may be whatever fucked-up medicine they rigged him. A single light bulb flickered above him that was in dire need of a change, leaving him in darkness for several seconds before forcing itself to work that made shadows dance across his face. Gazing into the cracked mirror, he leaned against the sink and brought his hand to his face and lightly brushed his skin that, to his eyes, was a deadly pale that made him look like Death himself. His eyes were lined with dark circles and were bloodshot red; almost like he was crying. Dark brown hair fell in messy curls below his eyes and shot about in different directions like it was trying to stab the air, and he jokingly told himself to get a haircut the next time he was available.

Dumping the bag on top of the toilet seat and browsing through the article of clothes Mark picked out for him, Mike held up a bright red turtleneck sweater and held it in front of the mirror before letting out a gasp and dropping the shirt out of surprise. Two milky-white eyes stared back at him in his reflection and almost seemed to glow in the now pitch black room, blood trailing down his cheeks like tears and his mouth agape, a dark liquid seeping from the opening. A deep gash cut into his neck as blood gushed from the open wound like a faucet, and when Mike let out a shuddering breath, a cloud of smoke escaped his lips and he suddenly realized just how cold it was. The reflection stood completely still before slowly raising a bloody finger to the glass and started to write.

Faint squeaking came from the mirror as the reflection concentrated on his work like it was the most important job in the world, and when he was done he brought his hand back down in a sluggish pace and stared at the brunet with those empty holes. Chills went down Mike's spine as he forced himself to read what the double wrote and unconsciously started to scratch the palm of his hand that had the cut, which was slowly starting to heal.

_**you can't save us** _

When he blinked the room temperature had returned to normal and the light was working once more, this time with less flickering until it finally decided to stay on. The mirror held only his reflection; no blood, no dead eyes, nothing except for the words that remained.

_Mike, look at your hand._

His finger was completely covered in blood and he felt like he was going to puke. Fumbling for something to wipe the message away he soaked it in water before swiping it across the glass, begging for the words to go away. The dark liquid smeared over the mirror and only seemed to become worse the more he tried to clean it and he felt like he was going insane. Alex snapped his fingers to get his attention and, when that didn't work, he shouted something that was enough for Mike to pause from his frantic task.

_Calm down already! Look, I don't know why you decided to write that message on the mirror, but you don't have to start freaking out-_

"What? You didn't saw what happened?"

_What I **saw** was you staring blankly at your reflection before writing down that creepy message, which, might I add, was still creepy. Just because I'm with you doesn't mean I can see what you see.  
_

"God, then I might be going crazy after all." The mirror was finally clean and Mike breathed out a sigh of relief, wiping his face before washing his hands. He'd never noticed the pounding headache until now, and the only thing he wanted to do was sleep as he brought the turtleneck over his head after he took off the smelly hospital shirt. Seriously, what did they do to make it smell like that? Bringing the dark jeans over his legs and buttoning it, he slipped on a black tennis and slung the bag over his shoulder before finally leaving the tiny room.


	11. Act One: Intermission One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rise and downfall of Phone Guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:  
> Each story is considered an "Act", so this story will have six acts in total, which will not be limited to intermissions that can't seem to fit into the actual storyline but is still relevant to the plot in one way or another. As you may guess, the one I am currently doing is Act 1. Alright, bye.

Your name is Scott Cawthon, and over the course of multiple years, you have seen some pretty weird stuff.

When Henry, a long time friend of yours, asked if you wanted to work with him as a security guard for a new business he was starting with another friend, you agreed without giving it a second thought. Fredbear Family Diner was the name of where you would be working, and it seemed like it was just going to be a simple job of watching some singing robots. Sure, they kind of creeped you out, but they were harmless enough as it was, so you kept that thought to yourself.

You were eighteen years old when the first murder happened.

Everyone was devastated, especially Henry, and a couple of months passed until he was forced to sell the name. After a couple of weeks though, he soon found the spark that inspired him to make the business and worked harder than ever in making sure that the robots were family friendly. Hell, he even taught you how to make your own animatronics, although you only managed to create one. But hey, one is better than nothing, right? The robot you made barely made it past your knee and was something simple: a cute little fox that you lovingly named Foxy. They- you couldn't decide to give them a male or female gender so you went neutral- was painted a bright red color with two golden eyes, although the right eye was covered with an eyepatch and even came with a little plastic hook. You were obsessed with pirates when you were but a wee lass, so you went with that direction and it turned out great.

The robot you made barely made it past your knee and was something simple: a cute little fox that you lovingly named Foxy. They- you couldn't decide to give them a male or female gender so you went neutral- was painted a bright red color with two golden eyes, although the right eye was covered with an eyepatch and even came with a little plastic hook. You were obsessed with pirates when you were but a wee lass, so you went with that direction and it turned out great.

Henry asked if he could make a larger scale model of Foxy for the restaurant and you couldn't have been more proud when you said yes. You love both of them equally and you always made sure to greet the pirate whenever you pass him. Mini Foxy was left in free roaming mode for the most part and can be seen laying about or helping out with little things, like sweeping or rearranging some furniture. While becoming a security guard was not on your highest list of achievements or leaving behind training notes for future guards- you really wanted to be a dancer but then there was complications and blah- you were really glad of the change of events and all the great friends you've made over the years.

You even met a nice fella named Jeremy; the poor kid is about as shy as a rabbit and easy to scare.

Something happened, and the next thing you knew you were attending Henry's funeral. Apparently, he committed suicide over some news and couldn't handle it, although the robot he'd created was standing awfully close to him when the police arrived. It was one of the biggest funerals you've ever been to; almost the entire town came when they heard the news. The second batch of animatronics was left behind after an incident that said that they were oozing "blood and mucus and had a terrible smell" (You were there when that happened and you definitely did not throw up. Whoever said that is a liar and deserve to have his pants on fire.), so Henry's partner made a new batch that was more "kid-friendly". They even came with a facial recognition scanner!

The workers decided to call them the Toy Robots because of their plastic, but you had to admit that some of them were kinda....odd.

The first one was Funtime Foxy, although everyone would refer to him as The Mangle because of how easily he would break apart. Before they used to repair him after the kids were done, but after a while, they just decided to leave him be. You don't like standing next to him- it felt like he was going to lunge to your head at any second.

The second one was the Puppet. God, did that thing freaked you out when you first saw it, and it still does to this day. You never like how it looked; it was too human for something that was supposed to be a band of furry animals. Then there was the case of Balloon Boy, but you don't want to cross that line anytime soon.

He was a completely different story that deserves not to be mentioned or spoke of.

Ugh....your head hurts. No...that's an understatement: your entire _body_ felt like it was being burned alive! Maybe talking about the other pizzeria can get the pain off your mind. Where did you leave off now....? Oh yeah, the puppet. God, did that thing freaked you out.

For one thing, it was abnormally tall; like about the height of a god damn child. The second thing was that it was always...... _thinking_ if that makes sense. Almost like it can see what you're doing and storing it away in its memory for future uses. You never liked being near it; it made you feel _extremely_ uneasy. Then there was the incident with the spring-lock suits and alright why does your body feel like it's in the bloody sun?! Before it was tolerable but now it's to the point where you want to scream.

You made an attempt to open your eyes only to find that you couldn't see anything and oh god why can't you see what's going on. Everything hurts, your head felt like it was hit with a sled-hammer, and did you mentioned that _everything fucking hurts?  
_

A whimper of pain escaped your throat as you started to move against whatever was holding you down but it only pressed tighter against your skin, forcing you to let out another whine to let them know that it hurts. There was a loud noise digging into your head before you realized that it was the ambulance and you stopped struggling for a moment because your body was starting to burn like crazy. Someone placed a hand on your shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Scott. They'll fix you up real good."

Mark? What was he doing here? You opened your mouth to voice your confusion but what came out was a strange gurgling that instantly made you clamp your mouth shut. God, you haven't heard from him in years! Another pat on the shoulder as you felt your body being lifted up before landing on something hard; probably inside the ambulance. He sighed and took his hand off your shoulder as the door closed and the vehicle started to move, causing your stomach to lurch. "Mike's gonna flip when he sees you. Heh, he even started calling you Phone Guy. Cute, huh?"

He's tense, that much you can get. Mark would always make small talk whenever he got something on his mind or, in a worse case scenario, he's pissed off or disapointed. And you have a feeling you know which one it is.

"God, what were you _thinking_ going back there?! You of all person should know the dangers of going back to Freddy's, and now look at you! You're bleeding to death and you'll look like a bloody mummy by the time we get to the hospital! This whole time I though you finally quit that damn job, but no! When will you learn to stop kissing that company's ass, Scott?"

You found yourself at a loss for words, and not because you couldn't talk either. He's right- you had every opportunity to leave but you didn't and now look where it'd gotten you? A one way ticket to death. You wanted to say something badly but your head was growing increaseingly heavy and your eyelids were closing on their own before you succumbed to unconsciousness.

By the time you woke up it was still dark and you had to fight off the wave of fear that clutched at your throat. Forcing yourself to stay calm, you sniff the air curiously and blanched at the on-slot of medicine and disinfectant. You never liked the hospital for multiple reasons but you kept that thought to yourself when the door clicked opened and footsteps filled the otherwise silent room. "Mr. Cawthon, you have guests," a gruff voice said before the door closed again. The montiors beeped in a strange pattern and you can only hear faint breathing from the visitors, which made you feel nervous since you still can't see squat and you can't speak with whatever was covering your mouth.

"Um, hey Phones," a timid voice with a strange accent said and you jumped in surprised. He sounded like he was in his early twenties and was extremely nervous by the way his voice kept cracking but you can almost see a smile on his face.

"I'm Mike, and even though we haven't met formally, you saved my life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me if there's any mistakes near the end of the story.


	12. Switched

* * *

  **Friday, November 6th. 1:10 PM  
**

* * *

When Mike saw Phone Guy, it really shook him to the core. The poor guy was practically a mummy; bandages wrapped all around his body and stained with blood, stitches covering the few patches of ash-gray skin that escaped from the wrappings and his eyes nothing but darkness.

He looked like he was barely hanging on to life.

The conversation they had was one side, although the brunet was certain that he was able to understand him. When they left Mark looked like he wanted to cry and before the drive home, Mike gave him a much-needed hug that lasted a couple of minutes in the car. Everything felt sore and tired but the brunet refused to go back to sleep; hell, even Alex was staying quiet. It lasted for only a few moments before the ghost started to hum softly in his head as Mike pressed his head against the window, enjoying the cold touch against his burning skin. He felt himself being lulled to sleep as he felt something like a hand being placed over his before his eyes finally closed.

When he woke up he saw that he was tucked into his bed and laid still, a dull stinging sensation in his palm disturbing him from an otherwise peaceful nap. Alex sat crossed-legged on the carpet and was writing something down on a piece of paper, his tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth and his hair falling over his eyes in bangs as he concentrated on his work. His image was otherwise solid if it wasn't for how pale his skin was and the whiteness of his eyes that made him feel slightly uneasy; all traces of blood and wounds gone aside from a few tears in his outfit.

Not wanting to bother Mark- the guy probably had a lot on his plate right now, he stayed in bed and watched the teen in mild amusement and curiosity. Alex would make a face at whatever he was doing and scratched it out before trying again, a satisfied look crossing his face whenever he would get it right and Mike felt a tiny smile dancing on his own face. After a while, he decided to break the silence.

"Whatcha doing there, buddy?"

The ghost jumped in surprise before placing a hand over his heart, his image flickering momentarily before returning to normal as he glared at the security guard, whose smile had now turned into a full-on grin.

_Don't do that again. Almost gave me a god damn heart attack._

Letting out a chuckle, he pointed to the forgotten paper and asked what he was doing, which elected a shrug from the boy as he placed the pencil aside. "Can I see?" Another shrug. Mike got up and crawled next to him, picking up the paper and scanning the jumble of words on the page. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at the teen and asked," What is this? A poem?"

_Yes? No? I dunno- I wanted to write something down since this week was so hectic and wait wait wait- You can see me?_

"As clear as day. Why?"

Alex started to panic as he grabbed his hair and looked at him with wide eyes. _Mike, you can't see me if I'm here! At Freddy's yes, but not in your fucking apartment! Something's wrong, something's horribly wrong...._

The sentence broke off into more incoherent babble and Mike felt an unfamiliar tingle of panic rising in his chest. Jesus Christ, this kid was going to be the death of him for sure. "Alex calm down already-"

_Fuck off, Schmidt! This is s wrong on so many levels you can't see me because I'm not there to be seen I'm a god damn ghost for fuck's sake!_

Alright, enough's enough. Snapping his fingers a couple of times he gained the teen's attention and gave him what he hoped was a calm look, although it felt more like a deadpan because of how tired he was. He told him to calm down and to take several deep breaths to relax, which was responded by a prompt "Fuck you" but he complied with the request anyway. After he had placated himself enough to speak.

_Alright, now what?_

"Now we try to come up with an answer." The brunet leaned against the bed and rested his head against his hand, his brows furrowed in concentration. From what he knows so far from his limited knowledge, Alex can only appear in dreams and in Freddy's, which made sense considering that that was where he died. And judging by the fact that he was able to hold a pen long enough to write the poem, then that means that he can now hold onto objects, although he's guessing that it has to be small. Minutes passed and Mike can feel Alex's growing agitation before he finally came up with a solution.

He has no idea what in the actual fuck was going on.

The red head groaned into his hands when he told him that and Mike smiled sheepishly before becoming serious. "Look, maybe the longer you stay away from Freddy's, the stronger you become or some shit like that. So far, that's the only thing that makes sense, so you can either take it or leave it. The good thing though is that we might be able to use this to our advantage."

Giving him a _what the hell are you talking about_ stare, Mike gestured to the two of them before telling him his big idea.

"How about you try to possess me again?"

Alex stared at him like he'd told him to fuck the guy that killed him. _Mike, what the fu-_

"Here me out real quick." He let out a huff of annoyance at being interrupted but otherwise stayed quiet. "When you possessed me, you said that I was unconscious, right? Well, maybe if you can do it again, then you can identify the person who offed you and, you know, give him revenge or some shit."

_Like you said, you were unconscious when I did that! I don't know if I can do that again if you're awake._

Mike absolutely refused to be knocked out again just so he can try out his theory, so he settled on the next best thing. Straightening his back and placing his arms in front of his chest, he did the lotus style and closed his eyes; he didn't need to see to know that Alex was giving him his _what the fuck_ stares.

 _What the hell are you doing?_ He asked although it sounded more like a statement with how deadpan his voice was. Mike opened his eye and explained," Meditation. Now shut up and join me already." Rolling his eyes (He had no idea how he did that, it just felt like something he would do), Alex copied Mike's position and let out another huff. "Good. Now start off by copying what I'm doing. Breathe in.... and breathe out."

Alex was going to say something smart but held his tongue. He might as well _try_ to cooperate with Mike, even if this wasn't going to work at all. Taking in deep 'breaths', he felt himself relax after a while and found that it worked better if he'd focused on a small dot on his head. When he opened his eyes, he immediately knew that something was off.

His body felt more solid than usual and, if this wasn't the kicker, _he had a heartbeat._

Shoving down the panic that raised in his chest, he gave his temporary body a test drive and did basic little things with it: moving his hands and arms, standing and walking around, the works. Interestingly enough, he found that talking seemed to have trouble coming to him than he'd thought. A pathetic squeak came out of his mouth the first time he'd tried talking- what was up with that anyway?- and he had to try several times before he can even say a word but he didn't even care. At this point, he was practically feeling himself: squishing his chubby cheeks and pinching his arms and jumping on the bed like a fricking ten-year-old.

"Hey Mikey, is everything all- what the hell?"

Alex stopped jumping so abruptly from the sound of his voice that he fell off the bed and landed with an 'oomph'. Shaking his head to get rid of the pain he looked up and suddenly blinked at the knife that was pointed at his face as Mark stared at him with fear in his eyes. He couldn't stop himself- he screamed bloody murder and slapped the weapon away from his face and broke out in a run away from the man.

His mind was working overtime as he skidded across the slick floor and collided into the table, letting out a yell of pain before scrambling back to his feet and running into a random room. Despite how fast he was running, he underestimated the speed Mark had and screamed again when he felt something grabbed his arm and yanked him to the ground.

"Get away from me!"

Fighting back proved nothing and his arms was pinned to the side. Mark stared at him with wide eyes and told him to calm down and Alex began to breathe rapidly, his chest tightening and his lungs burning for air. He wasn't even aware that he was released nor did he heard Mark voice; his hands gripping his hair as he curled into himself in a futile attempt to avoid him. Everything hurt, he couldn't breathe, _this was such a terrible idea._

"I don't wanna be here switch back Mike please I don't _want to die again..!_ " He let out a sudden gasp and his body went completely still for several tense seconds before he broke out into a fit of coughs that racked his body. When he raised his head, Mark saw that he was now staring into the bright blue eyes he'd become so familiar with. 

Mike looked around before settling his gaze on Mark, his brows knitted together in confusion.

"What..... what happened?"

"I honestly have no idea."

* * *

 

  **Friday, November 6th. 11:45 PM**

* * *

Mike was becoming frustrated. Throughout the remainder of the day, Alex absolutely refused to tell him what happened and what Mark told him made no sense whatsoever. Bringing down a hand across his face in annoyance, he unlocked the door and stepped into the Pizzeria. In reality, he had no idea what made him come so early and yet here he was. Honestly, this just made the place all the more creepy with or without haunted animatronics- the place just seemed to empty without the workers or kids. He didn't notice it because he was always in the office or defending for his life, but it was just so obvious now.

Speed walking to his little haven and sparing the robots no more than a glance, he settled into the chair, forcing himself not to dwell on the topic any longer. There was nothing he could do but wait and his eyes wandered to the phone that was sitting innocently on the table. Phone Guy's call echoed in his mind and he shuddered involuntairly.

_Why can't we just go home and forget about this place?_

He jumped at the voice before calming down and rolling his eyes.

"You know I can't just do that-"

_Why not? Others have done it before- why don't you? What do you have to gain from doing this job?_

"Will you just shut up already?"

Alex remained quiet, much to his relief, and after a while he checked his phone and saw that he had a minute left before the shift start. If he had to be honest, he was afraid of what awaits him. It wasn't the same kind of fear that he felt before- this one was different in ways that felt uncomfortable.

_Mike, whatever you do, don't answer the phone._

"What?"

_Listen to me- Just. Don't._

The response died down in his throat when the alarm went off and the phone started to ring.


	13. Mind Brand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay; the week proved to be busier than I'd imagined.

* * *

**Saturday, November 7th. 1:02 AM**

* * *

He listened to the recording.

The brunet knew that Alex told him not to, but he was filled with a burning curiosity that wouldn't die. That was possibly his second biggest mistake yet- the first one was continuing this job. 

At first, it freaked him out. Then his body began to tremble with an intense rage he'd never experienced before, and one that he honestly found terrifying. It was the type of anger that left you seeing red and with a violent urge to destroy everything in sight. Mike was never one for violence; he'd always been more of a pacifist really. But feeling this strong emotion for the first time made the small part of his mind that was still sane uneasy.

The worst part was that he didn't know _why_ he was angry in the first place.

Yes, he was still pissed off about what happened to Phone Guy, but there was simply no reason for him to react so violently to the phone call in the first place. It felt out of place; like it wasn't coming from him directly but from some other channel that was feeding into him. He tried ignoring it for the first hour but the feeling persisted. 

Freddy visited him for the third time in the last hour and he was now dealing with the double attack of Chica and Bonnie. The power was starting to drain rapidly and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he wasn't going to make it. Phone's was right- they were starting to become more aggressive as the week progress and he wasn't sure if he could handle it for long. The duo eventually decided to leave him be and he let out a sigh of relief under his breath. Checking on the fox once more, he frowned when the cove revealed nothing but darkness and quickly switched the viewpoint to where he would usually come from.

The animatronic was coming in hot, his eyepatch jumping up and down with each step and he automatically shut the door to stop the attack. His anger somehow seemed to spike as the robot banged his hands against the temporary blockage before returning to his cove. He wasn't given any time to think about it when he heard the deep belly laugh from Freddy and instantly returned his view to the monitor.

He'd discovered that the bear would always hide in the girl's bathroom, and he searched through the static until he found the two white pinpricks that stared at him in the darkness.

"Hello, Freddy. I see you're doing good." Mike gave him a quick wave before muttering "Crazy bastard" under his breath. Freddy was unpredictable, that much he can say about him. Sometimes he would be on the move while other time he would be standing on the stage and putting up his facade. So far, he was the only one who gave him this much trouble- Foxy was still on the list but was now in second place.

As the night progressed, he found himself changing from his pacifist nature to the violent side of him that left him uneasy. His mind provided him with a theory that Foxy was the cause of said anger since it only happens when he looks/ and or block him.

* * *

This was becoming absurd.

How that man managed to survive for almost a week was beyond you, but you could care less about the details. Right now, the only thing you want is to see him do is writhing in pain as the life drains from his eyes. You want to hear him scream.You wanted to hear him beg for mercy. You wanted to make him _suffer_. But the longer he survived, the longer you can feel the pent-up rage that was in you grew.

Bringing down the rusty hook, it broke through the old treasure chest with ease as the wood splintered and exploded around you. Releasing a low feral growl, your body released a series of erratic jerks that crackled in your cove.

Heavy mechanical footsteps made their way past the cove and you saw the rabbit's shadow moved on the curtain before disappearing. Pots and pans banged together in the kitchen and you heard the all-too-familiar sound of the door falling to the ground. You let out a sneer and brushed back the bloody bangs away from your functioning eye. They weren't trying hard enough- it was almost like they _wanted_ him to live!

The thought alone was ridiculous. Yet it made you hesitant to move forward, and you found yourself frowning deeply at the realization. Why the hell are you giving this any second thoughts? This was the man who took you away from your family! This was the guy who forced you to live like this! He doesn't deserve mercy- he deserves justice, and that's what you're going to give him.

So why did that idea left you queasy?

Shaking your head and pushing those thoughts away, you dashed out of your home and make your way to the office. He must have seen you since the door closed down on you like always, and you brought your hands up and slammed it against the metal barrier. It resulted in draining his power but that still wasn't enough for you.

Retreating back, you passed Freddy and paused. His jaw was completely caved in with bits of his teeth jutting out, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle while his right one was completely missing from the elbow down. Flesh dangled off his skin like a morbid decoration and his skull revealed large chunks of his brain that, if one looked hard enough, still pulsed with life. His hands had morphed into large claws that glistened with blood, his ears twitching with every sound he heard as he sniffed the air; probably looking for the others.

He passed you without so much as a word, which was good, considering you can't talk. Your hand found itself to the wound that crossed your neck, and you felt a shudder went down your spine. No one can remember how they really looked before they die or anything about their past- they can only get brief images of what life was like before, and even then, it was something that didn't make sense.

There was no joy.

There was no love.

The only thing that remained was a burning hatred that refused to die and pain that made your body felt like it was on fire. This was what you were created to do. This was the purpose that he had given you. Any remorse you felt for the security guard has washed away and replaced with a desire for blood. Your body jerked heavily as you sat down on what remained of the treasure chest. Sooner or later, he _will_ let his guard down. And then you would finally be able to extract revenge out of him once and for all. A haunting song echoed the corridors as you sang to your heart's content, closing your eyes and leaning back in what felt like bliss.

This was the joy of creation.

* * *

**Saturday, November 7th. 4:54 AM**

* * *

Mike was boned. Screwed. Whatever other words that can describe his current situation. The animatronics was hellbent on stuffing him in a suit, he barely had enough power to survive the night. This was it. This was how he was going to die. Bringing a hand to his face to wipe his tired eyes, he glanced at the power meter and frowned.

Twenty-five percent. That was how much he had left.

How was he going to live with only twenty-five percent?!

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he closed his eyes and stayed still for a long minute. When he opened his eyes, they were filled with determination as he placed his attention on the device in his hands. Foxy was the only one he had to look out for on the camera; everyone else can just go die in a fire.

During the week, he'd learned that they all have their own little cues at giving them away.

Freddy was his laugh (Obviously). Bonnie's was the faint breathing he would hear in his ears, and Chica was the sound of pained moans that would barely rose above a whisper. Foxy was the only one not on the list because his pattern was irregular, so Mike had to keep an extra eye on him.

Setting his new plan into motion, he stayed dead quiet as he concentrated on the task at hand. It actually worked, too. The only blimp that he'd encountered was when the fox visited him because he let his guard down and drained away some of the power. But other than that, it was fool-proof.

When six AM went, Mike leaned back in his swivel chair and let out a breathy laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. "Holy...." He heard a cough echoed in his head before Alex spoke, and he sounded like he had run a marathon.

_Well, that could have gone better._

* * *

**Saturday, November 7th.  6:15 AM**

* * *

It was raining. No, that was an understatement. It was _pouring._ It had caught Mike completely by surprise, and he barely made it halfway to his apartment before he was forced to take cover under a local store.

His hair was drenched with water and he lifted it away from his eyes before letting out an annoyed sigh under his breath, wishing he'd at least brought an umbrella with him. Mark would already be at work judging by the time, and he didn't know if the bus would come by to pick him up. Crossing his arms across his soaked chest, he stared at the rain that was coming down in bullets and released a breath.

There was the sign of an upcoming headache approaching and the only thing the brunet wanted was to take a nap in his bed. Oddly enough, he didn't hear a peep from Alex throughout the entire event, and a sense of unease crept along the back of his mind. The brunet wanted to ask him what was wrong but decided that now was not the time and waited out the storm.

Mike soon found himself unlocking the front door to his apartment and dropped his bag to the side before removing his shirt and other garments and heading straight for the bathroom. Standing under the shower-head, he let out a sigh of relief as his freezing body was hit with warm water.

Afterwards, he rubbed the towel through his hair before putting it to dry as he tugged on the sleeves of the red turtleneck he had on from visiting Phone Guy. Speaking of Phone Guy, he needed to take a quick trip to the hospital to see if he was getting any better.

"Hey, Alex?"

The ghost let out a hum of acknowledgment but didn't say anything else. Mike couldn't help but get the impression that he wasn't paying attention to what was going on, which was weird. "Is everything alright? You seem....out of it." Alex let out another hum and the security guard found himself picking at the scab on his hand. Forcing himself to stop, he laid down on the couch and hugged a pillow against his chest.

Now Mike knows something was up. Alex was rude, obnoxious, and had a temper of a bomb, but if there was one thing that Mike learned, it was that he wasn't distant. Making his voice hard, he said,"Alex, will you please just talk to me for just one minute already?" Something that felt like fear made Mike's heart skip a beat but it passed, and he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

_Fine. I'm all ears. What do you want?_

"I want to know what's eating you. You haven't spoken a word since we've got home and it's starting to worry me." Traces of annoyance went into Alex's voice when he spoke, and Mike can almost see him rolling his eyes and attempting to make a beeline to his bedroom.

_Everything's honkey-dory, Mike. Nothing's wrong, now can you just leave me-_

"It was what happened yesterday, isn't it? When we switched."

_..._

Got him. "Alex, can you please tell me what happened yesterday?"

_Why do you want to know?_

"Because I have a right to, that's why! It's my fucking body you're using, so at least tell me what you did with it!"

The anger he felt at the pizzeria returned at full force.

_I don't have to tell you **shit**! What happened is for me to know and for you to find out, and you will **never** find out what happened. I swear if you ask me that question one more time-_

"You'll do _what_ , huh? Stuff me in a suit? In case you haven't noticed, I've managed to avoid that fate for a full week while you got yourself killed at a birthday party! Haven't your parents ever told you to not follow strangers?"

He fucked up. He knew he did the minute the words came out of his mouth. The air-dropped several degrees and Mike saw clouds of smoke escaping from his mouth as he sat up on the couch. Static seemed to buzz in the air as the lights flickered on and off. Alex stood in front of him and Mike was sure he was going to die right then and there.

His hands had somehow morphed into large deformed claws that swung back and forth beside his legs. Two large fox ears twitched in the open air that was caked with dry blood and torn near the tip. The gash that was on his neck almost seemed to pulsed and he stared at him with two white pinpricks that resembled Golden Freddy's eyes. When he smiled, his teeth resembled those of a shark and was stained with blood.

**_You shouldn't have done that, Michael._ **


	14. Dead Boy Walking

* * *

**Sunday, November 7th. 6:20 AM  
**

* * *

_Christ, I fucked up badly.  
_

Pressing himself against the couch and his chest tightening in fear, Mike held his breath as Alex stood just a few inches away from his. A sick grin was on his face as he held the front of his sweater in his claw-like hands while he raised his left hand for the kill and the brunet felt his mouth turn dry.

Raising his own hands that did nothing to stop the immediate death, Mike swallowed hard and tried to reason with the spirit. "Alexander, _please_ don't do this. I went out of line, I know, but don't do this!" Alex narrowed his eyes into slits and tilted his head to the side, a disgusted look on his face.

_Why in **God's name** would I do that? _

"Because you _need_ me, remember? We were going to find the person who killed you and your friends." Lowering the hand to his side, Alex brought him closer until their noses were practically touching and let out a low growl under his breath. He somehow looked angrier than before.

_Why the fuck would I do this if the killer's **right in front of me?**_

Mike felt his blood turn cold as Alex pinned his arms against the furniture with a single hand, letting out a hiss of pain when he felt the claws digging into his skin and drawing blood. "Alex, it's me! Mike! I know you remember me- so please don't kill me!" An unreadable expression went across the spirit's face, and for several long moments, the only thing he did was stared into those blue eyes that were shimmering in fear.  The brunet was finding it harder to breathe as the seconds turned into minutes. Then the grip on his arms loosens until it went away completely as the teen's hands fell to his side.

His image began flickering until it was back to normal, but for a fleeting moment, Mike was able to see two emerald green eyes that were wide with fear, guilt, and regret. Backing away from the man, Alex pressed the palm of his hand against his eye and sank to the floor, hugging his knees against his chest as he let out a choked sob. Tears streamed down his face that vaguely resembled blood as he started to sob openly.

_I'm sorry I didn't want to hurt you but I couldn't stop myself please don't be mad I can be good-_

"Whoa whoa whoa! Alex, I'm not mad at you! It's okay." Mike jumped when he hissed angrily at him like a cat and glared daggers at him.

_Everything's **not** okay, Mike! I tried to kill you and you're terrified of me- don't think I didn't notice. I should have never left the pizzeria..._

Burying his head against his knees, he continued to cry silently as Mike stared at the teen and started to scratch the now-turned scar on his hand. When Alex shifted his head to the side he saw Mike sitting next to him and looking at the ceiling, the collar of the turtleneck brought to his mouth. Raising his head slightly, he asked what he was doing and got a shrugged in response.

"You don't look too good. I thought I might.... y'know....help you out..." Rolling his eyes at the clumsy explanation, Alex shook his head and gave him a weary smile that held no mirth.

_Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real, but it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel. So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside. And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night._

Closing his eyes, Alex leaned his head against the wall and sighed through his mouth, his image flickering slightly before staying still. He flinched when he felt something warm on his hand but otherwise didn't moved. Several moments passed as the two stayed that way, and when the ghost opened his eyes, he saw that he was in control of Mike's body once more.

His body froze for a horrible moment before it relaxed, and Alex made an attempt to stand when he winced at the sudden pain in his hands. Right, he forgot about those. Trying and succeeding, the ghost made his way to the bathroom and paused when he was in front of the rabbit's cage. The creature twitched her nose and watched him with her black eyes, and a faint smile graced his face before he opened his cage and gave her some food.

Unlocking the bathroom door, he knelt down and opened the cabinet that was installed in the sink and took out the first-aid kit. Placing it against the edge of the basin, he started to cover the wounds with bandages and glanced at his image in the mirror before doing a double take.

There was an unnatural purple glow in his left eye while his right eye was completely black except for a single pinprick of light. Touching his the skin under his eye, he let out a breath of amazement as a wide grin stretched his face, and it felt unnatural to be smiling after so long. Alex squinted at the reflection and realized that Mike had freckles dotted across his nose and cheeks and dimples every time he so much as smile and his hair was unbelievably soft.

_Stay focus, Alex. This body is not a toy- you have work to do._

He blinked before his face went grim. Right, this wasn't the time to be dicking around. Now was the time for an attack.

* * *

**Saturday, November 7th. 11:05 PM**

* * *

Alex was drained.

He rubbed his eyes and stifled another yawn that rose from his throat. He had been reading every article that he could find about Freddy's after he finally learned how to operate the computer that was in the corner of the apartment, yet so far all the results remained the same. The newspaper articles provided no further lead on his investigation and he was starting to become frustrated. This was the longest that he'd controlled this body and it was starting to take its toll on him.

During the time he was searching for something new, Mike hadn't said anything at all and he was starting to become worried. Chewing on the end of the pen he found, the teen let out a tired sigh as he read another useless report before jumping in surprise when Mike's phone started to ring. Panicking for several seconds, he forced himself to calm down and stared at the device in confusion. Pressing the button that he believed was right, he fumbled with it for a second before placing it against his ear and cleared his throat before speaking.

"H-hello?"

_"Hey Mike, it's Dorian. Listen, I know this is short notice, but can you please do me a favor and work at Freddy's tonight?"_

His blood went cold.

"Do I-I really have to go?" He must have sounded like a child, and Dorian sighed in his ear.

_"I'm sorry, Mike, I really am. But you're the only one who can do this job."_

His hand clenched into a fist as he hung his head, his bangs falling below his eyes and casting a shadow over them. "I understand, ma'am." She let out a breath of relief and thanked him before hanging up. When he opened his eyes it was back to their normal blue color and Mike shook his head to clear his mind. "Christ on a bike what did you do to my body?" He joked, and Alex shrugged before sulking in a corner and took some comfort knowing that the brunet couldn't see him.

_Dorian called- she wanted you to do another shift tonight at Freddy's._

Mike groaned into his hands and made a face in his general direction as he went to the kitchen in search of food. "Just when I thought I was free from that bloody place, it drags me back in."

_Now you know how I feel._

Alex rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest and laid down on the couch, watching as Mike emerged with a sandwich in his hand and some coffee in the other. "Thanks for patching up my hand, Al." He froze at the nickname before relaxing and humming in acknowledgment. He leaned over to see what was on the computer and whistled under his breath. "Damn son, you were working up a storm weren't you?"

Chuckling, the redhead shrugged and curled himself into a ball.

_Yep. So if I go MIA you know why._

Mike plopped himself on the couch next to him and, ignoring the yelp of surprise from Alex, turned the TV on and made himself comfortable. The only noise was from the TV as they lapsed into an endearing silence, and for a moment it seemed like the fight had never even happened.

_Hamilton._

"Pardon me?"

Alex avoided looking at him and stared at the carpeted floor with an unreadable expression.

_My last name. It's Hamilton._

A snort escaped Mike before he could stop himself and he covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing as Alex rolled his eyes in mild annoyance. Before he can tell him off, the front door opened and Mark walked into the apartment with his arms full of pastries. The brunet immediately got up to help him bring them to the kitchen as Mark sent him a grateful smile but frowned when he noticed the bandages wrapped around his hands. "Jesus, what the hell happened to you?"

Confusion met his expression before he realized what he was talking about and shrugged, telling him a half-baked lie while Alex observed from the couch.

_How are we going to explain our current....."situation" to Mark? Despite the idiot act he puts up, he's hella smart and will eventually figure it out._

_I'm working on it, but in the mean time, listen to my advice. Talk less._

_What?_

_Smile more. Don't let him know what we're doing until the time's right. Hell, maybe we can even explain it to him after our shift._

Mike glanced at the couch and nodded his head once before talking with Mark, and Alex sighed before closing his eyes. He should have never left the pizzeria after all.


	15. My Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The story will currently be going on hiatus. Don't ask me how long- I have no idea.

* * *

**Saturday, November 7th. 10:45 AM**

* * *

_You're kidding me, right?  
_

_I couldn't be making this up even if I can. What you're doing at Freddy's is child plays compared to when we- they're at twenty-twenty mode. This one kid- real shut in might I add- managed to beat them at their own game at the other location, and I gotta say that I was impressed with him._

Mike's eyes widen in amazement as he made his way past the crowded street and took a sip of the coffee he'd picked up from a nearby cafe with the ghost trailing behind. They had just stopped by the hospital to check on Phone Guy's condition- he was stable, thank goodness, so they only had to wait for him to wake up- and were now heading home so that Mike can take a nap for his extra shift.

He had insisted on waiting for Alex to get his energy back after they switched since he wasn't used to it as yet before they'd went, leaving the boy perplexed. How was Mike so comfortable around him even after he'd tried to tear his throat apart? Shaking his head at the mystery that was his host- he winced internally at the choice of word and made sure to never call him that again- and continued walking besides the man as they past another shop. Shifting his gaze so that he was looking at the mirror, he felt the corners of his lips curling upwards whenever they past a building that had glass. It amused him to no ends how people would do a double-take whenever they see the ghost; a lady actually screamed and a crowd had formed around her while Mike picked up the pace and ignored Alex's loud laughter.

If he'd listened closely he could still hear the lady squawking up a storm down the lane.

_How did he even know about it?_

_I honestly have no idea. Maybe Phones told him during a conversation and he wanted to try it out for himself, although it wasn't really that hard to find. It's at the back of their heads- you just have to unscrew it to access it._

Mike let out a hum of acknowledgment and entered a local shop, Alex pausing at the entrance to look at him in bewilderment before following like a lost puppy. When he asked why they were stopping, the brunet explained that he was doing some last minute shopping for Mark and that instantly shut the ghost up. For some reason, the man made him extremely nervous. Alex pushed some of the items around and watched in satisfaction when it moved to his touch before glancing at the man, who was placing certain objects into the shoping cart gingerly. He realized that it was because his hands was still hurting him when he made it perfectly clear that he was all right.

_It's my fault. Everything I do always hurt someone one way or another._

A shadow fell over his eyes as he leaned against the shelf and he found himself gritting his teeth in frustration. Why does this always happens whenever he let his guard down. His mind wanders back to the fight back at the apartment and he felt his nails digging into his skin. He was _this_ close at killing his only friend (Did he even had the right to call him that?) and the scary thing was that a large portion of him actually wanted to do it.

He'd realized that he wanted to see the curtains turn red with blood. He wanted to feel the warmth from his body slowly drain into nothing but ice. He wanted to be the last thing Mike saw before he dies.

Holding himself tightly like he was cold, he willed himself not to cry as Mike continued with his shopping without a care in the world. Alex learned that he was able to build up a wall that could seperate his thoughts from the brunet's, but something told him that it was beginning to crack.

_Hey Alex, everything's okay? You went kinda quiet on me._

_Yeah Mike. Everything's fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week's one is probably going to be longer. Hopefully. Maybe. I don't know.


End file.
